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This tasty buttermilk french toast is golden brown on the outside and fluffy on the inside. It's an easy brunch recipe to make for a crowd of people.
For other french toast recipes, try this rumchata french toast or this english muffin french toast.
For other breakfast recipes, try these bananas foster pancakes, these oat milk pancakes, or one of these delicious brunch mocktails.
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Recipe Highlights
- Using buttermilk instead of regular milk makes this french toast extra soft & creamy with a slight tang that is delicious.
- French toast is the best way to use up leftover, stale bread.
- This recipe is the perfect weekend brunch recipe for a large group of people.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Buttermilk: You should be able to find buttermilk in the dairy section at your local grocery store. If not, you can easily make your own homemade buttermilk. To make homemade buttermilk, add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to 1 cup of 2% milk. Stir and let it sit for 20 to 30 minutes until slightly curdled.
- Bread: Brioche bread works especially well for french toast. However you can use any type of bread for this recipe, such as white bread, baguette, whole wheat bread, or Texas toast.
- Butter: Butter is used to cook the french toast in a skillet. You can use margarine or a neutral oil, such as canola or vegetable oil, instead.
- Sugar: Sugar adds a bit of sweetness. You can use granulated sugar instead, or leave it out entirely.
- Cinnamon, Nutmeg & Vanilla: These spices add some flavor to the batter.
Equipment
- A flat, shallow bowl to make the batter in.
- A nonstick skillet or griddle to cook the french toast on.
- A spatula to flip the french toast.
Instructions
Step 1: In a shallow bowl, mix the buttermilk, eggs, brown sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon and nutmeg together until well combined. Dip each slice into the batter, soaking each side for 30 seconds.
Step 2: Melt the butter on a nonstick pan over medium heat. Cook the french toast for 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and cook the other side for another 3 to 4 minutes, until both sides are golden brown.
Step 3: Serve the french toast immediately, topped with fresh fruit, whipped cream and maple syrup.
Storage
- Fridge: First, let leftovers fully cool to room temperature. Then, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: Freeze french toast in a freezer safe container or Ziploc bag. Separate slices with parchment paper to prevent them from sticking together. Freeze for up to 2 months. Let the toast thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Reheating
- Stovetop: Melt 1 tablespoon of butter on a nonstick skillet and heat up both sides of the toast until it is warmed through.
- Microwave: Microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute until warm.
- Toaster: Toast until crispy and warm. Watch carefully to make sure the french toast doesn't burn.
- Oven: Place toast on a baking sheet. Bake at 200-250F for about 10 minutes until it is warm. Flip halfway through.
Expert Tips
- Use stale bread. If the bread is too fresh and soft, it will become soggy. Stale bread makes crispier french toast. The staler the bread, the longer you can leave it to soak in the batter without it falling apart.
- Use thick slices of bread. Thick ¾” to 1” slices will absorb more batter without falling apart as easily.
- For a smoother batter, strain the beaten eggs before mixing them in with the rest of the batter ingredients.
- Cook the toast on medium heat. Don't increase the temperature to try to make them cook faster. This will just burn the outsides without cooking the inside.
- If you are making french toast for a large group, keep the cooked toast warm by laying them on a baking sheet in an oven preheated to 200-250F until all the toast is cooked and everyone is ready to eat.
Serving Ideas
This buttermilk french toast can be served as a main breakfast course all by itself, or alongside other dishes, such as fresh yogurt with fruits, sausage, bacon and eggs.
For classic french toast toppings, try maple syrup, whipped cream, or powdered sugar. For more decadent ideas, try chocolate syrup, blueberry compote or maple roasted peaches.
For breakfast drinks to pair with this brunch, try an iced oat milk latte, or a salted caramel macchiato. For a breakfast smoothie, try this papaya smoothie or this chocolate strawberry smoothie. For a holiday brunch, make some pineapple mimosas or strawberry bellinis.
FAQ
Leave slices of bread out, uncovered overnight. If using a loaf of bread, cut it into thick slices first. You can also put slices of bread in an oven preheated to 250F for 20-25 minutes.
If the bread you are using is too fresh and soft, it will fall apart more easily when dipped into the batter. Either use stale bread, or dip softer slices of bread more quickly, before they can fall apart.
📖 Recipe
Buttermilk French Toast
- Total Time: 22 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This buttermilk french toast is golden brown on the outside and fluffy on the inside. An easy brunch recipe to make for a crowd of people.
Ingredients
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 4 eggs
- 1 tbsp brown sugar, packed
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp nutmeg
- 8 to 10 slices of bread
- 1 tbsp butter
Instructions
- In a wide, shallow bowl, mix the buttermilk, eggs, brown sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon and nutmeg together.
- Soak each slice of bread in the batter, letting it sit for 30 seconds on each side, until it is full coated. Set aside.
- Melt the butter on a nonstick pan or skillet over medium heat. Cook the french toast for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until golden brown. When ready, remove the french toast from the stove and serve immediately, topped with whipped cream, fresh fruit and maple syrup.
Notes
- Use stale bread. If the bread is too fresh and soft, it will become soggy. Stale bread makes crispier french toast. The staler the bread, the longer you can leave it to soak in the batter without it falling apart.
- How to keep cooked french toast warm: Lay freshly cooked pieces of french toast on a baking sheet. Put the tray in an oven preheated to 200-250F until all the toast is cooked and everyone is ready to eat.
- Prep Time: 7 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 286
- Sugar: 8.9g
- Sodium: 495mg
- Fat: 10.2g
- Saturated Fat: 4.1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4.1g
- Trans Fat: 0.2g
- Carbohydrates: 34.9g
- Fiber: 1.6g
- Protein: 13.6g
- Cholesterol: 196mg
TAYLER ROSS
We had this french toast for breakfast this morning and it was incredible! I'll definitely be making again soon!
Suja md
This looks amazing and such a treat! Thank you!
Beth Sachs
I'll definitely be using buttermilk for French Toast again! Absolutely delicious.