challah french toast
Everyone needs a recipe for classic, foolproof skillet french toast, even stubborn people like me who, despite making it at least once a month and more often when there’s leftover challah, are so easily bored by and restless with simple recipes that I’ve resisted writing this up for almost 19 years. I’ve filled the french toast vacuum on the site instead with customizations: casserole-style baked french toasts with cinnamon sugar toast and, uh, bailey’s (ah, the child-free years). There’s even a fancy french toast akin to individual crème brûlées. But eventually, through a combination of friends texting on random weekend mornings [“Do you seriously not have a challah french toast recipe?!”] and the existence of a teenager, who I cannot teach to make french toast for us if I haven’t written it down, I’ve come to my senses. I mean, mostly.
This is a recipe for a very hard to mess up challah french toast with a few tricks I’ve picked up along the way, like the best way to heat a stainless steel or cast-iron pan so that nothing sticks. But why stop there? I’ve included two dreamy toppings that raise this classic into the realm of something you will otherwise pay no less than $22 for at a brunch this weekend: a gorgeous berry sauce (we will use frozen berries and nobody will be the wiser) and a whipped vanilla bean cottage cheese topping that’s fluffy and light and eliminates all cottage cheese skepticism.
Despite this, it couldn’t be simpler — no need to stale the bread or use a deep puddle of butter to make it delicious. No need to start it the night before; you can make the whole thing within an hour of rolling out of bed, the best gift ever.
Staub x Smitten Kitchen Braiser It’s been one year since I announced that I was partnering with Staub to get them to bring back one of my favorite pans, a squat 4-quart Dutch oven I first bought in 2014 and have since cooked so many things in, it barely leaves my stove. The classic black matte pan (sleek, fashionable!) is in stock, as well as — drumroll! — a limited run of a gorgeous deep blue for spring. I hope you get a chance to snag one — or nudge a friend or family member about the perfect gift for you. You can order yours here. I hope you love it as much as I love mine.
Podcast! The latest episode of my podcast with J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, The Recipe with Kenji and Deb is, fittingly, all about French Toast and this week we have Chris Kimball (of America’s Test Kitchen and Milk Street) on as a guest. You can listen to it anywhere you get your podcasts and catch up on any episodes you’ve missed right here. New episodes drop every other Monday. I hope you enjoy listening as much as we’re enjoying the conversation.
Video
Challah French Toast with Berry Sauce and Whipped Cottage Cheese
The challah makes an airy, rich, and gently sweet french toast with crisp edges and a custardy interior. The toppings make this cancel-your-brunch-reservations-and-stay-home worthy.
- 2 cups (10 ounces) mixed frozen berries
- 2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 3 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons water, divided
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 cups (16 ounces or 455 grams) cottage cheese, whole or low-fat
- 1 tablespoon (15 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups (340 grams) milk, any kind
- 1 large (1-lb) loaf of challah bread, cut into 1 to 1.5-inch thick slices
- Butter for the pan, salted (my preference) or unsalted
- Powdered sugar, for dusting
Berry sauce
Whipped cottage cheese
French toast
Make the berry sauce: Place berries, sugar, salt, and 3 tablespoons of the water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until berries defrost and become saucy, about 8 to 10 minutes. In a small dish, combine cornstarch and remaining 2 teaspoons of water then add to berry sauce, simmering another minute until slightly thickened. Off heat, squeeze in lemon juice to taste. Pour into a bowl for serving and set aside.
Make the whipped cottage cheese: In a food processor or high-speed blender, combine cottage cheese, sugar, and vanilla and blend until totally smooth and fluffy. This is a barely sweet topping; add more sugar to your taste. Spoon into a serving bowl and set aside.
Make the french toast: In a wide bowl or baking dish (for easier dipping), whisk eggs with vanilla until smooth, then pour in milk, whisking the whole time.
Place a large skillet over medium-low heat and let it warm for two minutes. A droplet of water flicked into the pan will bounce around when it’s properly heated. Add a tablespoon of butter and swirl it around. Dip first few slices of challah (as many as will fit in your skillet) in the egg-milk mixture, letting it soak for a moment, then flip it and soak it further. Add to pan and cook until browned underneath, 2 to 3 minutes. If it’s browning too slowly, increase the heat to medium. Flip each piece and cook until browned on the second side. Transfer to a serving plate and repeat with remaining slices, adding more butter to the skillet as needed.
To serve: Dust finished challah french toast with powdered sugar. Place two slices on a plate, dollop with whipped cottage cheese, and spoon over some berry sauce. Eat immediately.
Do ahead: Berry sauce is good warm or at room temperature and keeps in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Whipped cottage cheese keeps in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. French toast can be kept warm until needed on a baking sheet in a 200°F oven. Leftover french toast keeps for 3 days in the fridge.
Notes:
- No challah? Use brioche bread.
- I do not add sugar to the egg-milk mixture because challah is already sweet, and my kids will also be drowning it in maple syrup, but you can adjust it for more sweetness if you wish.
- No worries if your challah is larger, as homemade ones often are; you should have enough egg/milk mixture and toppings to cover it. However, if needed, whisk in another egg + 1/2 cup milk.
- Fresh challah needs only a quick dip before frying but older/firmer challah can benefit from a longer soak. For the latter, go ahead and nestle in as many slices as you can in the egg-milk mixture and flip them once while the pan heats and leave it there while the first ones cook.
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