breakfast:

french toast

Published 26th June 2017

My family seem to be creatures of habit when it comes to breakfast, alternating between muesli and porridge in Winter or bircher muesli in Summer and often toast for the kids afterwards. So, each week, I try to mix up our breakfast to give the kids something special and have a nice family brekky. The go to is usually pancakes, but it could also be eggs or, in this case, French toast. All of these options are winners with the kids.

 
 
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I like French toast from a nutritional perspective because it makes a piece of toast much more nourishing, adding protein and often more vitamins and minerals if fruit or veggies are added on top. I’m regularly telling clients to swap their 2 pieces of toast with vegemite at breakfast for something more balanced and filling. Suggestions often include 1 slice of toast with avocado, cheese and tomato, French toast or 2 eggs on 1 slice of toast, so at least there is some protein in the topping and something of substance to help keep them full for more than an hour. By soaking a slice of bread in egg and milk then frying it, nutritionally, it’s actually not too dissimilar to a slice of toast topped with a scrambled egg.

French toast can be had sweet or savoury. In this case, I have opted for the sweet variety, but keeping the added and refined sugar to a minimum. For the bread, I have used a loaf of wholegrain fruit bread that I made in the bread maker, but a bought fruit loaf is fine, just look for a sourdough or wholegrain fruit loaf as it will be lower GI, which will keep you fuller for longer and your blood sugar levels more stable.

Enjoy xx

 
 
 
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Ingredients:

Serves 4

  • 4 slices of wholegrain or sourdough fruit bread

  • 5 eggs

  • 1 cup of reduced fat milk

  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla or vanilla bean paste

  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon

  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg

  • Natural yoghurt to serve

  • 2 cups Mixed berries, fresh or frozen, to serve

  • Pure maple syrup to serve

 

Method:

  1. Cut 4 x 1.5cm slices of fruit bread.

  2. To make the egg mix, place eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg into a bowl and whisk well to combine. Pour into a shallow dish big enough to fit a slice of bread.

  3. Heat a non-stick frypan over medium heat.

  4. Place one slice of bread into the egg mix and allow to sit for ~ 30 seconds, turn it over and soak the other side for a further 30 seconds. The bread will be quite soggy, be careful not to over soak it as it will fall apart.

  5. Transfer the slice of bread to the hot frypan and cook for 2-3 minutes, flip and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Repeat with remaining slices.

  6. When cooked, place onto plate and top with 1-2 dessert spoons of natural yoghurt, 1/2 cup of mixed berries and a drizzle of maple syrup.

**If you want this to be less healthy and extra indulgent, once removing from the frypan, rub ~1/2 tbs of butter into the toast and sprinkle with 1 tsp cinnamon sugar (1/2 tsp castor sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon) before adding the berries and yoghurt.