Pain Perdu is French for… you guessed it… French Toast! Popular as a breakfast or brunch dish, this Pain Perdu/French Toast recipe also makes for a delectable dessert recipe, so you can have dessert for breakfast or vice versa. I mean, who would pass up sweet, summer peaches caramelized in butter and caramel sauce? Not me! Growing up in England, we simply called this ‘gypsy toast’ or ‘eggy bread’, but I never had such fancy toppings as this. It has always fascinated me how the simple act of dipping bread slices in egg can create such a delicious meal, but it does and the amazing toppings help to transform it.
How to make the best Pain Perdu/French Toast
I would say it’s 90% the egg mix and 10% the bread. The egg mix is what flavors the bread so you want to add some ingredients to enhance it and avoid any plain egg taste. Vanilla extract is always a must for me to add flavor to the egg mix. If you so choose, you can also add nutmeg or cinnamon.
Using stale bread
If you have bread that has passed its prime, this recipe is a perfect use for it. That’s because the drier the bread, the better it will soak up the egg mix and, in turn, help to create a better tasting dish overall.
Best bread for Pain Perdu/French Toast
Just like French toast, it is best to use day-old sliced bread. So if you have time, leave your bread out overnight to dry out. This is so the dry bread will soak up the egg batter. Brioche is my first choice, but you can use any sliced bread you like, thick cut is always best so it can withstand being soaked in the egg mix and not fall apart.
A great tip if you don’t have time to allow your bread to get stale
If you’re craving French toast and don’t have time for your bread to dry out or become stale, toast it up for a couple of minutes, this will dry it out. Just don’t let it get too toasted.
The best topping for Pain Perdu/French toast
I want to circle back and talk about the star of the show – the caramelized peaches. If you haven’t cooked sweet, ripe peaches in butter then you’re missing one of life’s biggest fruit pleasures. When you throw homemade caramel sauce into the mix, well that just gilds the already delicious lily! The final step it to top the whole thing off with fresh whipped cream (yeah, that’s right). You’ll love it.
Batch making Pain Perdu/French Toast
The easiest way to make this for a crowd is to first prepare the peach topping. Then, as you cook the slices of bread, keep them warm in the oven until everyone is ready to eat.
More peach recipes:
Peach Frozen Yogurt Popsicles Panna Cotta with Peach Sauce Bourbon Poached Peaches
Note: You don’t want peaches that are too soft or they will fall apart when cooked.
