HAZELNUT FRENCH TOAST
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I always forget how EASY French Toast is!
For something that “seems” complicated, French Toast is ridiculously easy. Seriously, it’s even easier than pancakes! This hazelnut french toast recipe is ready for the griddle in under 10 minutes, and cooks in around 6 minutes!
Simple ingredients
Some sort of milk or cream, and some eggs. That’s really it! The rest is optional and/or up to your personal preference! For a vegan version, use your favorite nut milk and an egg substitute!
Flavors
I love to include a bit of maple syrup in my egg mixture to add some sweetness. When I have it on hand, I swap the syrup for Kahlua, which is fantastic! Today, we had a bit of hazelnut liqueur, so that’s what we’re going with!
Most french toast recipes include some flavorings such as cinnamon, but this is really up to you. I’m going with a bit of cinnamon and nutmeg – you could also use ground ginger, cloves, or allspice!
For my hazelnut french toast recipe, you will need:
- Half & Half or Heavy Cream (¾ cup)
- Large Eggs (3)
- Hazelnut Liqueur, Coffee Liqueur, Maple Syrup OR Honey (¼ cup)
- Cinnamon (¼ tsp)
- Nutmeg (⅛ tsp)
- Butter for the griddle (2 tbsp)
- Toppings (optional): Maple Syrup, Chopped Hazelnuts, Fresh Fruit and/or Berries
Bread
Most types of bread will work for hazelnut french toast. I recommend going with a thicker cut bread if possible. White bread is pretty flavor-neutral, but you could also go with sourdough, whole grain bread, or even cinnamon raisin bread!
Day-old or slightly stale bread is perfect for this recipe – but fresh bread works just fine!
Get some hardware ready to go
Grab a sheet pan with a wire rack and stick it in the oven at 375 degrees. You’ll use this to keep your hazelnut french toast warm while you finish cooking. This also has the added benefit of drying the toast out a bit and giving it wonderful crispiness!
Grab a second sheet pan with a wire rack and set it on your work surface. You’ll use this one to rest the bread after it has had it’s soak!
Let’s Get Started!
Start by adding the eggs, cream, and liqueur into a bowl and whisking them energetically! You want them to be fully combined and even a bit frothy.
Dip & Soak
I like to work one piece at a time in a slightly deeper bowl. Lay each piece of bread in the egg mixture for 30 seconds per side. You don’t need to move them or push down at all – just 30 seconds per side and let gravity do the work!
As each piece of brioche bread finishes soaking, gently transfer it to the wire rack you have waiting near your work space. The bread will rest here at room temp until all the bread has been soaked and the griddle is ready!
Heat it up!
Heat the griddle to 375 and give it a couple of minutes to fully heat up.
When you’re ready to begin cooking, bump the heat down to 350 (or a touch above 350), and place 1 tablespoon of butter on the griddle. Spread it with a spatula as it melts.
Place 4 pieces of your soaked bread onto the griddle and cook for approximately 90 seconds per side. Griddle temps vary, but with my griddle set to 360, I cooked them for 1 minute 45 seconds per side, and they came out perfect.
Keep warm in the oven!
As the first batch finishes, transfer them to the sheet pan and wire rack that you have waiting in your 375-degree oven. This will keep them warm while you cook the next batch, and it will also dry them out just a bit, giving the outside a slight crispiness!
When the second batch finished, add them to the same sheet pan and let the whole thing rest in the oven for another 5-7 minutes before serving these right away!
Toppings: You Do You!
Feel free to top your hazelnut french toast however you like! Really go nuts! (sorry.) I topped these with some chopped hazelnuts, fresh berries, maple syrup and a bit of powdered sugar just to be fancy.
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