Pain Perdu (French Toast)

Pain Perdu has a crisp caramelized exterior with a rixh custardy interior that's redolent of butter and vanilla.

A slab of day-old bread, soaked in custard until it just barely holds together, then fried in butter until the crust shatters and gives way to something impossibly creamy inside. That's pain perdu.

Course Brunch

Cuisine Best, French

Keyword pain perdu, french toast, lost bread, pain perdu recipe, french toast recipe

Level Beginner

Main Ingredient Bread, Dairy, Egg

Diet Pescatarian, Vegetarian

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 15

Soaking Time 1

Total Time 1 20

Servings servings

Calories 714kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

for custard

½ cup whole milk
½ cup heavy cream
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon Armagnac
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

for Pain Perdu

2 slices batard (sliced 2-inches thick)
2 tablespoons cultured unsalted butter
1 tablespoons superfine sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Instructions

Make the custard for the Pain Perdu by whisking together the ½ cup whole milk, ½ cup heavy cream, 2 large eggs, 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon Armagnac, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until the mixture is completely homogenous.
½ cup whole milk, ½ cup heavy cream, 2 large eggs, 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon Armagnac, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Place the 2 slices batard in in a deep dish or tray that is just large enough to hold the bread in a single layer and cover with the custard. If your dish is too large the custard won't soak into the bread completely. If you don't have a suitable dish, you can use a sealable plastic bag and press out the excess air. Cover and refrigerate for a day, turning the bread over a few times in between.
2 slices batard
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 C). Remove the soaked Pain Perdu from the refrigerator and flip one more time.
Mix 1 tablespoons superfine sugar with 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour and sprinkle half the mixture onto the tops of the bread using a small sieve(such as a tea strainer) to ensure the flour gets sprinkled evenly.
1 tablespoons superfine sugar, 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Add the 2 tablespoons cultured unsalted butter to a cast-iron skillet and heat over medium heat.
2 tablespoons cultured unsalted butter
When the butter has melted and the foaming subsides, add the bread with flour-sprinkled side down.
Dust the Pain Perdu with the remaining flour/sugar mixture and fry until it's well browned on one side (about 5 minutes). If your heat is up too high it will burn, so if it looks like it's browning too quickly, turn the heat down.
Flip the bread over and put the pan in the oven.
Bake for 8-10 minutes. Keep a close eye on it as the sugar will burn easily. You want the surface of your Pain Perdu to be very dark, but not burnt.

Nutrition