Recipe: Waffled french toast

Follow Waffleizer on Twitter. Join Waffleizer's Facebook page.

I get the best emails.

You can read below this exchange I had with a blog reader, reprinted with her kind permission, or I can give you the upshot, which is this: I have really been missing the boat for years.

* * *

Hi Dan,

I'm so happy to discover this blog. I used to live in a co-op that had a bizarre number of waffle irons in the kitchen and I had a lot of fun coming up with things to waffle. My personal favorite is the classic french toast waffles (I use the "Joy of Cooking" recipe) — it's best with cinnamon raisin bread (challah if you have it).

- J

* * *

Hey -

Wait... I hate to sound ignorant, but are you telling me that "The Joy of Cooking," has a french toast waffle recipe? Or do you mean a french toast recipe that you waffled? I hope it's the latter, otherwise I'm feeling like I really missed the boat for years.

In any event, waffled french toast was about 75% of the inspiration for this blog. I came across it this past summer on some blog or another. [To give credit where credit is due, it was here.]

Thanks for the note.

-dan

* * *

I'm sorry you've been missing out. "Joy" (the old one at that) has a french toast waffle recipe — it's simple and perfect. 

-J

* * *

It's worth noting that her original email to me did not include an Amazon referral link to the Joy of Cooking. Neither did my response to her. I added both in hopes of lining my pockets — well, in hopes of being able to afford pockets.

The recipe is below. It really is simple. And it really is perfect.

I also tested it with a little added baking powder, but I didn't detect any difference. I've tried it with sandwich bread and with challah. Both work well. You don't want the slices too thick. 

The original recipe does not call for vanilla extract, but I add vanilla extract, which you can make yourself with the vanilla beans you buy in bulk.

What? You're buying vanilla beans one or two at a time?

That used to be me. Then someone told me you could buy them online in big quantities for much less. (Yes, on Amazon. But also apparently on eBay. I did not try that.)

Buying vanilla beans in bulk changed my life.

Well, certainly my consumption of vanilla.

Oh, before I forget. Here's the recipe for waffled french toast.

Waffled french toast

Serves 3

Ingredients:

• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup milk [120 ml]
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted [30 grams]
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract [5 ml]
• Dash of salt
• 6 slices of bread

Directions:

1. In a shallow container such as a pie plate, whisk together all ingredients except bread.

2. Soak a slice of bread in the mixture, flipping the slice to make sure the bread thoroughly absorbs the liquid. 

3. Waffle until golden brown. This should take about five minutes, though waffling time will vary depending on your waffle iron and heat setting.

I ate mine with a pat of butter and maple syrup.

This recipe should make it onto a lot of weekend breakfast tables. Assuming you can wait that long.

Comments

[Red Hamster]

Linked to you off Daily Coyote http://www.dailycoyote.net/
Great idea for a blog. I'm not a waffle fan, but you might make me become one...which would be great for my husband...because he could live on nothing but bacon and waffles. I'll be trying the waffled French Toast.

[Genevieve C.]

This is hilarious. As I said in my Twitter feed, I cannot believe there was a Chicago-based food blog and I knew nothing about it. I'll have to waffle something for my food blog soon (and of course, link to you and the important work you're doing here).

Genevieve!
http://thealchemistblog.wordpress.com

[Camille]

I saw this today and thought of you! Peanut Butter Waffle Toast

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes.aspx/peanut-butter-waffle-toast/ae294438-cf4d-4521-b0a9-ccf1f5aa37ca?WT.dcsvid=MjA5MzUxNTE1NwS2&rvrin=9533C762-0A83-DC11-920E-00110A5B41E6&WT.mc_id=Newsletter_Bisquick_02_18_2010

[Daniel]

Very interesting ...

[Molly]

I'm thinking waffle-latkes. . .

[Jenny]

It's Tuesday. Can I wait until Saturday? I'm not sure. Sounds like we might have breakfast for dinner tomorrow!

[Daniel]

You speak, of course, of brinner, of which I am a longtime supporter.

[Jennifer]

This is one of my favorite breakfast things. The year we gutted our kitchen my husband and four kids made this in the garage for Mother's Day. Such nice memory!

[Leeann]

What about cinnamon?

[Monica]

Is there a bread that works best for this recipe? Thanks!

[Daniel]

Ordinarily I would recommend brioche or challah for french toast (particularly the day-old stuff that's slightly stale.) And those definitely work with this recipe. But I've actually had really good luck with white sandwich bread, too. So I think you have a few good options.

[Diane Brody]

It’s maple syrup season, and we recently helped tap friends’ trees in Vermont. I can’t wait to drizzle the extra super fancy Grade A over these!

If buying bulk vanilla beans changed your life, Cook’s Illustrated’s proclaiming artificial vanilla better than real vanilla (at least for baking) changed mine. I buy it by the gallon and splash it generously everywhere. I will get around to talking about this one day on Recipephany.com. Love this blog -- Waffleizer is now the first (and so far only) entry in my blogroll!