From fries to green beans to kissing to revolutions to the Eiffel Tower, we have a lot to thank the French for (*see note at bottom). If there was a scoreboard for a country’s contributions, then chalk up another point for French toast. In my opinion, French toast theory is pretty simple; it’s controlled bread pudding. Well, that’s my take, at least. For my family, perfect French toast is a little crisp on the outside and nice and soft on the inside. Sometimes, we even allow it to be soft to the point of being custardy. Although the crunch on the outside can be created by corn flakes or something else toothsome, I go with the old school method of just pan frying it till it’s good and done (golden brown with flecks of darker brown… Black would be over done).
French toast has long been a favorite of our family. When we went vegan (almost four years ago), we erroneously believed that our happy French toast eating days would be over. After all, one of the main ingredients of traditional French toast is usually eggs… And when it figures so prominently, it’s hard to substitute. Of course, we were wrong!
This recipe is based on Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s great “Fronch” Toast recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance. Like I said, it’s a great recipe, but I changed a few things to please my family… And I like experimenting anyway. Don’t we all modify recipes a little (or a lot)? I have no pre-conceived notions that you’ll follow this recipe to the “t” so change it all you want… As long as the secret ingredient isn’t bacon fat or something, I’m good with pretty much any modification. This recipe makes about 15-20 slices of French toast… Depending on type, size, and thickness of bread. If you want to do less, just cut the quantities in half.
Ingredients:
1 loaf of good quality bread. Italian or French bread are both great. I usually get a multigrain or whole wheat sourdough bread from a little bakery at the farmer’s market. Baguettes work… larger slices are good… Basically any type of bread is good as long as it isn’t the some kind of thin sliced white bread food product.
1 cup soy or other non-dairy creamer (I’ve used Silk and Mimicreme, and they’re both excellent… That said, if you don’t have any non-dairy creamer, just use soy milk or any other non-dairy milk)
1 cup rice milk or other non-dairy milk
1/2 cup garbanzo bean flour (AKA chickpea flour)
2 Tbsp agave nectar (maple syrup or any other natural liquid sweetener)
4 Tbsp arrowroot starch (cornstarch works fine too)
Pinch of sea salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Directions:
Slice the bread into 1/2 inch to 1 inch rounds. If I slice it myself, then I’ll often slice it at a bias, so it’s not just straight on… It makes the dish more fancy. This type of cut is often called a “french cut” which is ironic, right? French cut French bread… Hee hee. Okay, I guess it’s not so funny… Anyway, stale bread works really well because it absorbs the batter without totally falling apart. Fresh bread works well too.
I won’t lie to you. Lots of recipes that use arrowroot (or cornstarch) recommend dissolving the arrowroot with the liquid ingredients first. Clumpy arrowroot isn’t good. Clumpy garbanzo flour is fine if there are just some small clumps (I know, it’s a double standard). Here’s the thing, if you put all the ingredients in a big bowl and use a wire whisk on it, the arrowroot dissolves just fine.
However, if you’re really into making sure that the arrowroot is fully dissolved, then first add it to the creamer and milk and mix till it’s dissolved… Then add the rest of the ingredients. If you’re pressed for time or trust in your mad whisking skills, then throw everything together and whisk like crazy. It’s not like you save a ton of time, but putting all the ingredients together, instead of adding arrowroot first, is one less thing to worry about.
Put the mixture into a shallow, wide bowl. I use a jelly roll pan because it gives me a chance to maximize the amount of slices of bread I’m preparing. Soak the slices about one minute per side. It’s important to only soak as many slices as you can actually cook. I have a dream range with a griddle, so I can cook about eight full slices of bread. Before we got the range, I could do about four to six in my two cast iron skillets.
I pre-heat my pan at about medium/medium-high heat. When I’m ready, I pour about a teaspoon of oil in and move it around with a paper towel so that it’s evenly spread and isn’t a puddle. One of my other secrets: I use an oil mister that I got from Pampered Chef (Sur La Table and Williams Sonoma also have them), and I give the cooking surface a nice even spray. You don’t want too much oil. Just enough to help the French toast keep from sticking. Even after spraying, I’ll use a paper towel to quickly spread and absorb any excess.
Put the already soaked French toast in the pan to cook. After about two minutes, flip over and cook about another minute or two more. It should look like French toast… In other words, golden brown with some nice flecks of dark brown. Really, you can cook it more, and it will be fine. My family likes a little more crunch, so I cook just a little longer. It still tastes good.
Serve with non-dairy butter, pure maple syrup, cashew cream, banana slices, a luscious berry compote, freshly grated nutmeg, a dusting of powdered sugar… You get the point.
Variations:
See final bullet point in Directions…
Just kidding. Sometimes I take a tablespoon or two of peanut butter and whip that into the batter for a rich peanut-buttery taste.
Do you like tropical flavors? Substituting coconut milk or coconut cream for the non-dairy creamer adds a very rich flavor that is reminiscent of a Hawaiian brunch.
**Author’s note: okay, so it’s time to come clean…
French fries aren’t really French. Several sources cite pommes frites as the early fry and Belgium as the country of origin. There are many guesses as to the origin of the name ” French fries.” some say it’s because French was the spoken language of the Belgian army during World War (and the fries were popular among the American and British soldiers)… Others think it could be the cut of the fries (French cut) or the way they are cooked.
There are French green beans (AKA haricot verts which is actually French for ‘green beans’), but it’s more common to refer to the green beans as French cut.
French kissing… Well, that’s another story. So kissing with an open mouth and tongue (French kiss) is not specific to the French. In fact, the origin of the term goes back to the 1920s. Some sites suggest that it was coined because the French were thought of as morally liberal in a physical way. The stereotype of the French at that time (and even now) is that they are a passionate people. That said, the origin of French kissing may actually have nothing to do with the French at all.
The French revolution really did happen. For ten years, from 1789 to 1799, France was politically in upheaval as people rebelled agains the monarchy and aristocrats. In fact, the monarchy fell within the first three years as the French people fought for their rights.
The Eiffel tower is real too. Designed in 1889 by Gustave Eiffel for the World’s Fair, it is still the tallest structure in all of France. Located in Paris on the Champ de Mars, it’s entirely made up of metal. It is the single most visited landmark that people are willing to pay for.
French toast is not necessarily French in origin. It’s eaten in England and known as “eggy bread.” in Brazil it’s “rabanada.” And in Spain, where many believe modern French toast originated in the 15th century, it’s known as “torrijas.” Most of the popular recipes include dipping the bread in an egg mixture, but hopefully this recipe will help change that.
