Best Bread for French Toast?

[marthadumptruck]

Brioche? Challah? Other?

[heatherkay]

I've made fantastic French toast with banana bread. The banana bread recipe I use is not as cake-y as some, and I cut the sugar quite a bit.

[TonyO]

If you have a bakery that makes Bear Claws, try that with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a real treat (and about 3000 calories).

[tdo ca]

pane rustica (day old) - smaller slices can be easier to fit in a round pan, too!

[toodie jane]

....boy, what a bunch of sweet tooths!

I find the sweeter, fine-grained breads don't have the chew I like, so use a good hearth bread, like a country Italian or French.

I prefer the chewiness and the flavor contrast. And the stout crust that bends just enough to the power of the egg and milk.

Swept with melted butter, topped with a dollop of Nancy's yougurt and a handful of blueberries, and just a dash of hot maple syrup.

[medford]

Challah. Day-old stands up better than fresh. In a departure from my usual egg/milk/vanilla batter, I added egg nog we didn't finish at Thanksgiving - yummmmy.

[sgwood415]

Challah. Leave the slices out overnight to get a touch stale. They'll soak up more of the custard. Delicious. See Alton Brown's recipe on foodtv.com

[javaandjazz]

I have used panettone in the past for french toast around the holidays and it's been so good!

[sillyrabbit]

Definitely crossaints! I had the best French toast made with fresh croissants (extras can be frozen for later use), a touch of cinnamon in the egg batter, and topped with fresh berries, at The Old St. Angela Inn in Pacific Grove. Yum!

[malvasia45]

I have used butter croissants for about 25 years; my friend's father is a chef and he used them in his recipe (just use your favorite ingredients). I realize the recipe is filled with a lot of cholesterol, but a few times a year won't kill you (i.e. birthdays, holidays, family reunions, etc.). Happy holidays!

[susan1353]

On Christmas morning I use pannetone with a splash of egg nog in the batter.

[scoobyhed]

Challah. But I'll even go one better and suggest raisin challah. Best of all possible worlds. Or if you want to be really fancy make french toast with brioche and then make it into a sandwich with ham and gruyere.

[KRS]

If you're in NYC, go down to the tiny B&H Dairy Restaurant at 127 Second Avenue between 7th St. and St. Marks Place and get a loaf of their marvelous challah -- lovely soft crust, rich yellow inside and the best FT ever.

[niki rothman]

Good timing! This is the season when it becomes easier to find Italian pannetone. This eggy, light but chewy bread with raisins and preserved fruit bits make THE best french toast. For those in SF the 22nd. & Irving market has great Italian all-butter/no chemicals pannetone. a pound plus - $1.99.

[chowser]

I just had the best french toast at a farm bed and breakfast. I don't know if it was the fresh baked Amish bread or the just gathered eggs or fresh milk but they were incredible.

[Rodeline]

I haven't tried this at home, but I love the french toast at Basix Cafe in West Hollywood. It's made out of a croissant.

[Grubbjunkie]

Agreed on thick-cut challah, hands down the best.

But I've had surprisingly good results with day-old baguette, you just need to soak it in the egg a little longer.

[CindyJ]

I also vote for challah, thickly sliced. Add a little milk, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg to the egg. Mmmmmm!

[Procrastibaker]

I really love a big slice of hearth bread since it has a bit more structure and stands up better to soaking in milk. Plus, it has more of a saltiness that contrasts well with sweet toppings. To me, brioche and challah are yummy but a bit too soft.

[chowdear]

Try Portuguese sweet bread ("Massa Suvada") for to-die-for French toast.

[piccola]

I second that. Although close runners-up are whole-wheat raisin bread or schiacciata.

[chowser]

I've never had french toast with that but I'll bet that would be awesome. I wonder where I can find Portugese sweet bread. My college roommate was Portugese and she always brought fresh loaves to school. Mmmmm...

[chowdear]

If you live in New England, I'd be happy to suggest a few bakeries. Otherwise, here is a link to what seems to be a good recipe. Please let me know if you do try out the recipe. Thanks!

http://www.yankeemagazine.com/recipes...

[krissywats]

I'm with the challah crowd.

[Chocolatechipkt]

Me too! Brioche is too rich, and I don't like panettone, which would be a bit too sweet anyhow, IMO.

[HillJ]

We use challah nearly every time, soft and eggy inside, slightly crunchy outside, takes the syrup, jam or honey well. It's perfect french toast bread!

[Fydeaux]

King's Hawaiian Sweet Bread makes superb French Toast.

[LARaven]

I agree with the Kings Hawaiian bread....it makes excellent french toast and you can slice it as thick or thin as you want. Ith ads some sweetness to the french toast, I don't even use syrup. I also like to use Coffee Mate Coconut Creme instead of milk. Kings has a couple of outlet stores in the South Bay where you can get the bread cheaper.

[Norm Man]

LARaven, where are King's Hawaiian outlet stores located? Thanks in advance.

I live in LA and love King's Hawaiian Bread. I can eat a whole loaf in one seating!

[Candy]

Brioche is great and what is really good is pannetone. It makes great french toast.

[ghbrooklyn]

If you have a Chinese bakery in your area, the loaves that they produce are great for french toast. Ask to get it cut thick or uncut. They also have raisin bread.

[Seldomsated]

I would go with sourdough bread, as it is tough texture-wise enough to stand up to the egg/milk mixture, and the tang of the bread contrasts with the sweetness of the syrup . . . It becomes chewy and a little crunchy, which I love! I guess one could use brioche or challah - but it would be quite rich. Not that there is anything wrong with that!