build me up, buttercup: the best french toast ever

It's been one of those crazy weeks. Work has pretty much swallowed me up whole and there's not much left of me for anything else. Not that I'm complaining because the work I'm doing is fun and exciting and I'm using all my skills and honing them into lean, mean machines. Which brings me to this post. French toast. I've been making it for years. As a kid, I would help my mom make it and when I got a little older, I took over the task. It's simple breakfast that almost seems too simple (which is probably why I've never posted a recipe for it here on this blog). I didn't think I had anything to learn about french toast.

I was wrong.


This Saturday morning french toast was on the agenda*, but I decided to go about things a bit differently. First off, I had some really, really wonderful day-old sourdough bread that I purchased from a little shop 3 blocks away. A sliced it up thick but instead of doing the same ol' dip and dunk into the egg mixture, I decided that this thick bread really deserved a good soaking. Once it had it's luxurious egg bath, I fried it up as usual, but decided to take extra care that it was cooked through by plopping the whole shebang onto a cookie tray and into the oven for a bit of solid heating. Little did I know that baking had the effect of puffing up the toast into wondrous bites of deliciousness hereby unknown to me! How could french toast — which has long been a breakfast staple, suddenly blossom into this sophisticated dish? Whatever happened, I can now call this the best french toast I have ever had the pleasure of eating. It's sweet and fragrant with cinnamon and vanilla and the smells coming from your oven will rouse the most sleepiest head. Divine!


thick cinnamon french toast (aka the best french toast ever)
1 small day-old sourdough loaf , sliced 1" thick
5 eggs
2 c skim milk
1 T vanilla
1 t cinnamon
1/4 c brown sugar
unsalted butter

Place sliced bread in a large baking tray. In a large bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients (not the butter!) until foamy. Gently pour egg mixture over the bread and let sit for 15 minutes. Turn bread over and let sit for another 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350. In a large skillet, melt 2 T of butter. Working in batches, add bread to skillet and cook until golden on both sides — about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to baking sheet and bake until french toast is slightly puffed and golden, about 15 minutes. Serve with maple syrup or fresh berries.

* Uh, I don't have a breakfast agenda...but wouldn't it be wonderful if I did? Mmmmm.

happy easter: hot cross buns with cinnamon icing

I grew up eating hot cross buns at Easter. My mom would come back from the grocery store with a bag filled with a double layer of 8 hot crossed buns. We'd heat them up in the oven for a few minutes and then eat the warm buns for breakfast. The only thing I hated about the buns was that they were always studded with candied fruit, which I'd pick out and leave on my plate in a little heinous pile. Candied fruits are the roots of all evil and I had no idea why someone would sully a perfectly good treat with those little bites of raunch.


I haven't had a hot cross bun in years and while strumming through an old Betty Crocker kid's cookbook that I had thrifted ages ago, I came across a perfect recipe. Why was it so perfect? Well, truth is, I'm intimidated by baking with yeast. I don't know why, but somehow I associate baking bread with serious devotion....an undertaking I didn't feel quite ready to tackle. Until now. I mean, this recipe is meant to be made by children, so really, how hard can it be? I felt perfectly at home trying this recipe instead of one I had been eying for years which seemed too complex and frightening for a newbie like me.

For a greenhorn, I chose right. It may not be as authentic as Delia's, but my hot cross buns were delicious (my husband called them delectable) and I was able to get over my fear of baking with yeast in one fell swoop. They were light and crispy on the outsides just out of the oven and the icing I doctored with vanilla and cinnamon was the perfect accompaniment. Plus, the best part was that I subbed out those nasty candied fruits with fresh orange zest to wonderful effect! The fruity orange essence was present without those god-awful bitter vile beasties. Oh yah, let my bread baking adventures begin! It's on, bitches.


hot cross buns with cinnamon icing
1 c warm water (not too hot)
1 pkg. active dry yeast
2 T sugar
2 1/4 c flour
1 t salt
1 1/2 t cinnamon
2 pinches nutmeg
1 egg
2 T butter, softened
1/2 c raisins
zest from 1 orange

icing:
2 heaping T icing sugar (powdered sugar)
a drop or two of milk
1/2 t vanilla
1/4 t cinnamon

1. In a mixing bowl, disolve yeast into water and stir in sugar. Wait until the yeast doubles in volume (this is called proofing the yeast - if it doesn't, you've got bum yeast. Try again with another packet). Stir in half of the flour, salt and spices. Add in egg and butter and mix well. Add in rest of the flour along with the raisins and zest and beat until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and cover the bowl with a cloth, letting rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

2. Oil up a large muffin tin and set aside. Stir down the batter and spoon dough into prepared muffin cups filling half full. Cover tin with cloth and let rise until doubled in volume, another 30 minutes. Heat oven to 400 degrees and bake for 15 minutes or so until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack.

3. Prepare frosting by mixing together icing sugar with a few drops of milk and vanilla. Stir in cinnamon, adding another droplet of milk if necessary to get a smooth, creamy consistency. When buns have cooled, use a spoon to drizzle icing over the buns forming a cross. Place on a plate to catch any drippings.

breakfast can be this good.

I love weekend mornings. They can be leisurely and relaxing and everything just seems better with a second cup of strong coffee. A short stack of pancakes also keeps that smile on your face just a bit longer too. A fluffy & almost ethereal short stack of spicy chocolate pancakes? Well, I think you've got the makings for a perfect day!

Don't worry, these aren't sweet pancakes, so feel free to add liberal amounts of maple syrup to your pancakes! A touch of sweetened whipped cream certainly wouldn't be out of line, either.

cinnamon chocolate pancakes
1 c flour
1 t baking powder
1 T sugar
1/4 t salt
3 T cocoa
1 t cinnamon
1/2 c milk
1/2 c vanilla yogurt
1 egg
1 T melted butter

1. In a large batter bowl, mix together the first six ingredients until well incorporated.

2. In a large measuring cup, mix together the last 4 ingredients. Add the wet ingredients into the dry and lightly mix together with a fork. The batter should still be a bit lumpy and you don't want to over mix.

3. Cook on a hot, lightly oiled griddle, using about 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake. Cook until bubbles begin to form and the pancake is slightly brown on one side and around the edges; flip.

Makes about 4 fluffy pancakes. Serve with maple syrup.

the sweetest sunday

Last weekend, we went on a short bike ride and stopped for breakfast at the midway point. I took the unconventional route and ordered a burger, but Cornelius loves tradition and ordered the HUGE breakfast complete with eggs, bacon, fruit salad, home fries and the best fluffy, apple-cinnamon pancakes. He couldn't stop raving about them and so I had a bite and was instantly won-over. They had such a great apple-cinnamon flavour that it became doubtful whether I could recreate them at home. This weekend, however, I was up for the challenge. The end result was delicious! The apple cinnamon flavour was pronounced and the apples still retained a softly-crisp texture. No mushy apples here!

I've always stuck to my mom's pancake recipe and though they are delicious, they just aren't fluffy. Next time, I'll have to do a bit of digging around...maybe adding baking powder to the mix? Any tips for fluffy pancakes would be appreciated!

apple-cinnamon pancakes
1 c ap flour
1 c whole wheat flour
pinch of salt
3 eggs, beaten
2 1/2 c milk
1 small apple, finely diced
1 T white sugar
1 T cinnamon
3 T walnuts, chopped

1. In a large mixing bowl, add the flour & the salt. Wisk in the eggs and half of the milk until smooth. Gradually add the rest of the milk, whisking away until you have the consistency of cream.

2. In a small bowl, mix together the apples, walnuts, sugar and cinnamon. Add this mixture to the pancake batter and let stand for 20 minutes.

3. Lightly oil a frying pan and put pan over medium heat. Ladle out the batter, making sure to get a nice apple/batter ratio and cook until the edges appear dry. Flip and cook the remaining side for about 30 seconds or until golden. Repeat with remaining batter.

Serve with pure maple syrup.