Peanut Butter + Jelly Fluffy French Toast For Weekend Brunch
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Is there anything that brings back memories of childhood quite like the sweet smell of french toast on the griddle? The rich mixture of thick bread soaking in egg and milk is the epitome of a classic slow Sunday morning breakfast meal. French toast, also known as eggy bread, conjures up images of crisp newspaper crosswords, steaming cups of coffee, and tiny pitchers of maple syrup.
French toast is also known in France as pain perdu, which translates to “lost bread,” as it is most commonly made from stale or leftover bread. This fluffy french toast recipe is a spin on the classic french toast recipe that includes heavy cream, butter, and lots of eggs. What makes this french toast recipe unique is the addition of a small amount of Greek yogurt, which adds a thickness to the batter to keep that custardy consistency that french toast is known for.
We added raspberry preserves and peanut butter to give this thick and fluffy french toast a sweet and creamy texture, but feel free to customize your toast with powdered sugar, fresh fruit or maple syrup!
How to Make French Toast
When we were doing research on how to make the best french toast recipe, one thing is for certain: There is no correct way to make french toast. Ask the internet and you’ll find recipes for french toast with honey, without flour, or without milk. We found recipes for baked french toast, savory french toast, and of course, the healthy baked variations of this classic breakfast dish. As a general rule of thumb, the accepted milk to egg ratio is: 1/4 cup of milk for every one egg. However, this is hardly a hard and fast rule. But changing the ratio of egg and milk will change the consistency of the french toast.
Add more eggs and you’ll find the the toast is eggier and more dense, giving it a “scrambled” taste. Add too much milk or dairy and you may notice the bread is soggy or flat. Some recipes call for whole milk or heavy cream. Thicker milks will give the french toast a heavier, richer texture. Adding butter will also increase the richness of the recipe but add to the golden brown crisp edges.
Why is My French Toast Soggy?
If your french toast isn’t coming out crispy, using too much dairy or soaking the bread for too long could be the culprit. Another reason? Cooking the french toast at too high of a temperature will burn the outsides of the bread without fully cooking the custard center.
What is The Best Bread for French Toast?
Much like the “correct” way to make french, there is no correct bread. However, choosing a thicker bread will help the egg mixture soak up into the bread. Choose a bread that is too thin and you might find that your french toast is easily burnt or dry. Bread that is too thick may not fully cook into the center and be soggy. Try to find a bread that is approximately 1” in thickness for optimum results.
Try these bread options:
Brioche
This rich, buttery bread is traditionally made with eggs and lots of butter. Consider this like a thicker cousin to sandwich bread, but a great option for french toast.
Sourdough
Sourdough bread is a slow, fermented bread that requires no commercial yeast to rise. Instead, sourdough is made by using a starter, called levain, which is a combination of natural, wild yeast and a bacteria called lacobacilli. This starter is then added to the bread to make it rise. However, unlike its namesake, sourdough is not sour. Sourdough is used for its chewy texture and crispy, crust.
Challah
Challah bread is a braided loaf made from eggs, flour and yeast typically eaten during traditional Jewish celebrations. It has a hallmark yellow color from the large quantity of eggs and is often sweetened with sugar. This sweet loaf is light and airy and makes for a beautiful presentation for french toast.
Whole Wheat
Whole wheat flour has far less gluten than traditional all-purpose flour. Whole wheat bread is often a thick, dense option, with a nutty flavor, perfect for french toast.
Cinnamon Raisin
Want to kick your french toast up a notch? Consider this sweet cinnamon-infused bread a “cheater loaf” to add sweetness to your french toast without added syrup!
Stale Bread
Don’t have any of the above breads available? Try using one to two day old french baguettes or sandwich bread. The slightly drier texture allows for better absorption of the egg mixture and prevents soggy bread when used with thinner sandwich slices. No day old bread? Try toasting the slices in the oven before soaking in the mixture!
What You Need to Make Fluffy Peanut Butter + Jelly French Toast
Brioche Bread
Eggs
Almond Milk
Vanilla Greek Yogurt
Brown Sugar
Salt
Jelly
Syrup
Fresh fruit
Easy Ingredient Substitutions
Switch out the jelly. Prefer jam or preserves. Swap it out!
Change out your nut butter. Use your favorite nut butter here. Macadamia nut butter would be so good.
How to Make Fluffy Peanut Butter + Jelly French Toast
Whisk it up. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and milk.
Make it creamy. Add in greek yogurt, brown sugar, flour, vanilla extract, and salt. Whisk until creamy.
Heat the griddle. Preheat griddle to medium-high heat (350 degrees).
Get the bread ready. Soak each slice in egg mixture for approximately 20 seconds on each side to absorb.
Make sure it doesn’t stick. Spray with non-stick oil and add each slice to the electric griddle or skillet.
Cook the toast. Cook until golden brown, approximately 1-3 minutes. Flip the toast and cook on the other side.
Get the drizzle ready. Warm peanut or almond butter in the microwave (or on the stovetop) to melt.
Enjoy. Add nut butter drizzle and dollop of preserves (or jelly) and enjoy!
French Toast Variations
Baked French Toast. Bake your toast in a greased 9x13 pan for 30 minutes at 350 degrees, flipping halfway.
Peanut Butter & Banana French Toast. Add sliced bananas as a topping to your french toast.
Cinnamon Sugar Crusted French Toast. Combine a mixture of sugar and cinnamon (ratio 3:1) in a small bowl and then spread evenly on a plate. After dipping the bread in the egg mixture, place one side of the bread into the cinnamon sugar mixture before adding to the griddle. Optionally, add a small amount of cinnamon or nutmeg to your egg mixture to elevate the taste.
Brunch-Worthy Orange French Toast. Substitute a 1/4 cup of milk for orange juice and grate in zest of one orange. To add a boozy spin on this classic french toast recipe, add 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier to our recipe above!
Dairy-free French Toast. Make this recipe dairy-free by substituting oat milk, or coconut milk and/or yogurt to the above recipe.