World's Best (and easiest) French Toast Recipe

At one time or another, everyone has stale bread. How can you turn those inedible slices into something wonderful?

This recipe is the best (and easiest) that I know of. It actually works BEST if you use stale bread. I've used stale potato bread, white bread, french bread that has gone hard and stale, even the buns for hamburgers or hotdogs left over from a cookout.

Read on for how to make this fantastic dish!

There's a reason I'm not giving you the amounts -- you'll understand once you read the "How to Make It" section just below.

stale bread

eggs

milk (I've used half-n-half, and I've used 1% milk -- they both work)

cinnamon

nutmeg

butter

Here's the reason I don't tell you the amounts of the ingredients: you'll use as much as you have, or make a smaller amount if you're only cooking for one or two people.

Spray a baking dish with cooking spray.

Lightly butter each slice of stale bread. Layer them carefully in the baking dish. Add a light sprinkling of cinnamon and nutmug between each layer.

Mix equal parts of beaten egg and milk then pour over the pieces of buttered bread. Didn't make enough egg/milk mixture? Then make a little more, and pour it on top of the bread. This is such a fool-proof recipe!

Here's the part that is really important: make sure your bread slices are covered with egg/milk mixture, then cover with plastic wrap and put into the refrigerator for about 5 hours. It's okay if there is more liquid than bread -- overnight the bread will soak up (nearly) all of the liquid.

I put this together just before I go to bed, so it will be ready to bake the following morning. I usually make this on Saturday night, for a special breakfast on Sunday morning.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Remove the plastic wrap from the baking dish, and sprinkle additional cinnamon on top. Sometimes I add a few paper-thin slivers of butter.

You'll notice that most -- if not all -- of the liquid has been absorbed by the bread during the night. It's okay if there's still a little liquid remaining. Don't pour it off -- it will still bake up beautifully.

Put the dish into the oven, and bake for approximately 40 minutes. You'll want to set your kitchen timer for 30 minutes, so you can check it. Some ovens run hot, and will be ready sooner. Some ovens run "cooler" and you might need to bake these for 45 minutes or slightly longer.

You'll know when they're done when the top is puffy and golden brown. They're really gorgeous when you remove them from the oven!

By the way, the dish will lose some of its puffiness as it sits on the counter. This is okay, and doesn't change the flavor at all.

That being said, I usually try to have everything ready (the coffee made, the table set) for when the french toast comes out of the oven.

Scoop the french toast into warmed cereal bowls, and serve with fresh butter and real maple syrup. They're genuinely melt-in-your-mouth, and your loved ones are going to rave!