The Best French Toast I've Ever Made

French toast is one of the most amazing things I've eaten for breakfast. It all depends on how it's made, though. I've had some french toast where the bread was crispy and tasted like egg and salt, and I've had others that tasted like mush. I'd rather have the much. But a happy medium would be even better.
Well no further did I have to look for a great french toast recipe than the trusty Alton Brown from the Food Network show, Good Eats. I think I would trust him with any tips or tricks that he handed me. Maybe I'd even trust him with my life...okay, maybe just my kitchen.

His french toast recipe was really easy to make, and it ended up being the most amazing french toast I've tried as of yet.  Also, it being homemade and coming from my own kitchen is quite a nice thing to brag about sometimes; that I made it with my own two hands...and a griddle. It was nice and golden and crispy on the outside. Smooth and custardy on the inside. It didn't taste overbearingly like egg. I felt like Goldilocks. It was juuuust right.

I nixed the berries but I added bacon, so it was alright :)

 French toast is really all about the bread you use, and drying it out a bit beforehand. If you use bread that's fresh out of the bag then you'll get something like bread pudding when you're done, and that's no fun!
*See my extra tips at the bottom for this no-fail french toast.

Here is the recipe that made me.......The French Toast Fanatic!...and how I changed it up a tiny bit to make it even better:

Best French Toast....EVER
Serves: 4
Level: Easy

Ingredients 
1 cup half-and-half
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons honey, warmed in microwave for 20 seconds
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 (1/2-inch) slices day-old or stale country loaf, brioche or challah bread
4 tablespoons butter

Directions  

-In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the half-and-half, eggs, honey, and salt. You may do this the night before. When ready to cook, pour custard mixture into a pie pan and set aside.

-Preheat oven to 375 . Dip bread into mixture, allow to soak for 30 seconds on each side, and then remove to a cooling rack that is sitting in a sheet pan, and allow to sit for 1 to 2 minutes.

-Over medium-low heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a 10-inch nonstick saute pan. Place 2 slices of bread at a time into the pan and cook until golden brown, approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from pan and place on rack in oven for 5 minutes. Repeat with all 8 slices. 

Serve immediately with maple syrup, whipped cream, and/or fruit. 

What I did to change it up...just a bit:

I didn't make it too much differently at all, but what I did add definitely made a world of difference:
To the custard mix I added: 
-1/2 a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract, and
-1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

That was it. You were expecting more, huh? Nope, that's it.

*TIPS FOR THIS RECIPE:
*You can use any kind of thicker bread really. I like to use the challah though, and get the un-sliced kind so I can cut big thick slices.
*You don't have to leave the bread out overnight to get "stale". But you need to have it stale! I pre-heat the oven to 250 and put it in there straight on the rack for about 15 minutes, checking on it periodically, until it feels pretty hard. You don't want it like a crouton but how it would feel if it were a bit stale.
*I used regular 2% milk for this one time and it turned out just as sweet and delicious. So if you're like me and like to cut the calories a bit, use milk instead. 
*I like to use Agave Nectar in place of the honey, also.


I hope you try out this recipe, and let me know how you like it. I'd love to hear your thoughts, and any other things you might have added to the recipe.

Question of the Day: Where is a restaurant that you've had really good french toast at?