author: perrin
created: 2005-12-17 17:45:24
servings: 2 - 3
notes:
Every now and then, an event comes along that makes you stop and reassess the choices you've made in your life. I've always been a pancake man. Blueberry pancakes seemed like the top of the evolutionary breakfast ladder to me. Sure, I'd had some good French toast at cute little bistros, but I figured it must be hard to make it well. Then one day I had some stale challah, and I tried this recipe, from The Best Recipe. This stuff is devastating. It's better than any pain perdu I've had in a restaurant, and it's easy. If you get the amount of soaking right, it's creamy and luscious in the middle and crispy on the outside. Just make sure to have some challah on hand. They suggest a variation using Italian or French bread, but really, why waste your time?
recipe:
1 large egg (I've used the all egg white stuff from the carton and it worked fine) 2 tbsps unsalted butter, melted 3/4 cup milk 2 tsps vanilla extract 2 tbsps sugar 1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour 1/4 tsp salt 5 or so 3/4-inch thick slices of day-old challah Whisk the wet ingredients together, followed by the dry (except the bread). Soak pieces of bread for around 40 seconds per side in the mixture, letting excess drip off. Heat a pan to medium heat, toss in a little butter, and fry the soaked bread until it's golden brown on both sides -- about a minute and a half on the first side and a minute on the second. Good with powdered sugar, cinnamon, maple syrup, fruit, or just shoved into your mouth whole.