Mini French Toast

Today I Made Mini French Toast

Just when you think french toast can’t get any better – try it in mini size. I love miniature versions of anything really but miniature versions of foods is just the best thing ever. Both fun to make and even more fun to eat! French toast isn't anything new or inventive, but when you use different shapes and sizes of bread – it all of a sudden becomes interesting again. For the record, french toast is always interesting to me. Comfort food at its finest. This dish is perfect for those lazy Saturday/Sunday mornings and a great way to use up any left over French Baguette. 

This recipe is ridiculously easy to prepare and make and always receives a great reception. These little guys are amazing covered in Maple Syrup or Nutella or jam or anything sweet and sticky. The ingredients for this recipe are very simple and are things that you would have in your press and fridge normally. The egg mixture can be made in advance and kept covered in the fridge over night and the bread works better when it is a day or two old so you can literally have all the work done from the day before and just wake up, fry and dive in.

Ingredients:

• French baguette
• 3 large eggs
• 220mls Milk
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1-2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, for greasing the pan
• Maple Syrup, Jam, Nutella

Directions:

1. Slice baguette into 1 - 1.5 inch slices. Set aside.  Crusty is key – make sure your baguette is nice and crisp. I let this loaf go stale for about 2 days before making the french toast. So, buy a loaf on Thursday for a Saturday or Sunday morning breakfast.

                       

2. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, and cinnamon together until combined. The mixture will be thick and creamy. Pour into a large bowl or jug. Make ahead: at this point, you can cover the mixture up tightly and refrigerate until the morning when you are ready to make french toast.

                           

3. Soak the bread slices in the mixture for about 2 minutes on each side.

            

4. Meanwhile, over medium-low heat, melt 1 Tablespoon of butter in a pan. Place however many slices of bread fir into the pan and cook until gold brown on each side, about 3 minutes on each side.

             

5. Melt more butter in pan for the next batch, if needed.

                   

6. Serve immediately with butter, maple syrup, Nutella, Jam and/or fruit.

"How do you like your eggs in the morning?"

French Toast Cupcakes

Today I made French Toast Cupcakes

Anybody that knows me will know two of my great loves are French Toast and turning things that aren't normally cupcakes into cupcakes. I love the idea of taking such basic ingredients of bread and eggs and turning them into something magical. I stumbled upon this idea online before and have had such a desire to make them ever since. These little guys play a trick on your taste buds as they look like a normal cupcake but then they taste like French Toast it normally takes people a second for the penny to drop. They are like little bread and butter puddings too. I add a slight crumb to the tops of these cupcakes for a crunchy contrast to the super soft texture of the cupcake. 

These cupcakes are so versatile you can eat them at any part of the day. They are a pretty quirky take on a fairly traditional breakfast. I normally serve these for breakfast still warm drizzled with Maple Syrup with a cup of tea. Although in my house we've been known to have one for dessert with ice-cream or as a late night snack. The mixture is so easy to throw together and can stay in the fridge for a day or two. In fact, they turn out better when you let the bread rest in the mixture for a number of hours or even over night. The bread cubes get to soak up all the eggy goodness. I use a typical Italian style loaf for this recipe, I normally buy the bread a day or two before I need it as the whole process is easier if the bread is a couple of days old and not too soft. 

Ingredients: 

( Makes 12 )

For the Cupcakes:

• 1 Large Italian or French Loaf.
• 120mls Milk
• 7 Large Eggs
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 2 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Golden Sugar
• 1/4 Teaspoon Nutmeg
• Maple Syrup - to serve

For the Topping:

• 40g Plain Flour
• 20g Butter
• 2 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Golden Sugar

Instructions: 

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Using a sharp knife trim off all the crust from the loaf of bread and cut into 3/4 inch cubes. Place all cubes into a large bowl. (I normally make breadcrumbs from the crusts I cut off, these can be frozen up to three months)

2. In another bowl whisk the Eggs, Milk, Nutmeg and Sugars until fully combined and light in colour. 

3. Pour the mixture over the bread cubes and mix around carefully with a spoon until all cubes are coated. Chill in the fridge for at least half an hour or a couple of hours. You can leave the mixture in the fridge over night (So you can prepare for breakfast the night before)

4. To make the crumb topping place the Butter, Flour and Sugars in a small bowl and mix until resembles breadcrumbs. Set aside.

                   

5. Oil your cupcake tin. Fill each space right up to the top. Sprinkle a generous amount of the crumb on top of each. 

6. Bake for 20-24 minutes. Mine normally take 22 minutes. You will know when the top of the crumble is nice a golden brown. Leave to cool for 6-8 minutes in the tin then turn them out on to a wire wrack. Drizzle with copious amount of Maple Syrup and Enjoy. 

"I'd rather have too much of a good thing than not have the good thing at all"