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Challah French Toast Recipe

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This tasty French Toast Recipe uses a traditional challah bread. Spiced with cinnamon, this family-favorite dish is drizzled with pure maple syrup and fresh raspberries for an out-of-this-world flavor combination. Serve this challah french toast for breakfast or a weekend brunch. Perfect for celebrations or a quick, from-scratch breakfast for the family.

A French toast recipe has loads of raspberries and is served with eggs.

French toast is easily one of my favorite quick breakfasts to make. Unlike pancakes and waffles, I find that I really don’t have to be too precise with measurements. That being said, anytime I post a dish I’ve made online, someone always requests a recipe. 

The last time I whipped up this flavorful breakfast, I decided to write down measurements so I could be sure to share it with all of you. Serve this French toast with eggs and fruit and you have yourself a well-rounded meal that starts your day off on the right foot.

A challah French toast recipe is whipped up and served on a cutting board.

This is easily a breakfast a toddler could help you make, too. If you have older kids that love to cook, they can master this recipe on their own if they’re comfortable. Mom and Dad can relax and have breakfast served to them and then take care of the dishes.

Essentially, you’ll just be whisking a handful of ingredients, slicing bread, and dipping it before cooking it in a pan on the stovetop. Easy enough. 

My secret is I use my favorite Jewish bread (and arguably one of the best breads ever), challah, to make this french toast recipe. 

Challah French toast shines bight in the sunshine as it sits on a marble countertop next to a window.

What is challah?

Challah is a traditional Jewish bread served weekly during Friday night Shabbat (the Sabbath) and other Jewish holidays. It is a braided egg bread that can be made slightly sweet or with more savory herbs and spices. It’s very similar to the French bread brioche. I could probably eat half a loaf of plain challah myself! So good. 

The thick slices of this tasty bread are just right for this dish.

Tips for making this french toast recipe

If you can’t find challah at the store and can’t be bothered with making it yourself, you can always use brioche bread. This is more commonly found in the bakery section of most stores. I occasionally make challah from scratch, but I usually purchase it from Trader Joe’s.

I use pure maple syrup for a topping, but if you prefer pancake syrup or honey that is okay to use. 

French toast is the start in this breakfast plate ensemble.

Tools you may need

Mixing bowl 

Whisk

Large pan, nonstick (if you use a cast-iron skillet instead, be sure to add butter/oil before cooking)

Spatula 

Measuring cups and spoons

Sieve or sifter, for garnishing with powdered sugar

Ingredients

Challah – I love challah because it’s light and fluffy, but is slightly denser and richer in flavor than typical yeast breads. Perfect for holding up after being dipped in an egg-milk mixture.

Eggs – You’ll need eggs to create the perfect french toast coating that allows it to slightly brown on each side. It also adds a bit of an eggy flavor to it.

Milk – Use 2% or whole milk (or even a plant-based milk if you prefer) to combine with the eggs. This thins out the mixture a bit and prevents the mixture from forming thick scrambled eggs on the sides of the bread.

Cinnamon – Cinnamon adds a depth of flavor to the french toast. 

Vanilla extract – I use a high-quality, home-brewed vanilla extract I make myself. I use real vanilla extract and not the imitation stuff. Believe me, it makes a difference in the quality.

Powdered sugar, for topping – This gives it a sweet flavor and a nice contrast to the golden bread. I dust it with just a bit before serving.

Maple syrup, for topping – I’m a food snob, so I will tell you to use the high-quality, real Vermont or Canadian maple syrup, but if all you have is pancake syrup, who am I to judge…

Raspberries, for topping – Any type of berry will work on this, but I think raspberries are particularly good and tend to be well liked by most. They add a hint of tart– and sweetness, plus a dose of vibrant color to the dish.

Several ingredients are spread out on a table.

Making the best french toast recipe

  1. Start by slicing your loaf of challah into 1-inch thick slices. Set aside.
  2. In a small mixing bowl, crack the eggs along with the milk, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. Whisk together vigorously until fully mixed.
  3. Heat a non-stick cooking pan on the stovetop on medium-low heat.
  4. Dip 2-3 slices, on both sides, into the egg-milk mixture and place into the pan. Cook for about 4-6 minutes per side, until lightly browned and crispy. There should be no sogginess to the bread at this point.
  5. Continue until the entire loaf is cooked. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with maple syrup and raspberries.
French toast is ready to be served.

More Breakfast Ideas:

Cozy, Healthy Chocolate Baked Oatmeal  

Vegetarian Breakfast Casserole  

Pumpkin Apple Fall Muffins  

Healthy Breakfast Granola  

French Toast Recipe

This tasty French toast recipe uses a traditional challah bread. Spiced with cinnamon, this family-favorite dish is drizzled with pure maple syrup and fresh raspberries for an out-of-this-world flavor combination.
Course Breakfast, Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword bread recipes, breakfast recipes, challah, easy recipes, french toast, french toast recipe, quick breakfast
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 5
Calories 395kcal

Equipment

  • mixing bowl
  • whisk
  • large nonstick pan if using cast-iron instead, be sure to add butter to the pan first
  • spatula
  • measuring cups and spoons
  • sieve or sifter for dusting powdered sugar

Ingredients

  • 1 loaf challah
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • powdered sugar for topping
  • maple syrup for topping
  • raspberries for topping

Instructions

  • Start by slicing your loaf of challah into 1-inch thick slices. Set aside.
  • In a small mixing bowl, crack the eggs along with the milk, vanilla extract, and cinnamon.
  • Whisk together vigorously until fully mixed.
  • Heat a non-stick cooking pan on the stovetop on medium-low heat.
  • Dip 2-3 slices, coating both sides, into the egg-milk mixture and place into the pan side by side. Cook for about 4-6 minutes per side, until lightly browned and crispy. There should be no sogginess to the bread when they're done.
  • Continue until the entire loaf is cooked. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with maple syrup and raspberries.

Notes

If you can’t find challah at the store and can’t be bothered with making it yourself, you can always use a brioche bread, which is more commonly found in the bakery section of most stores. I occasionally make challah from scratch, but I usually purchase it from Trader Joe’s.
I use pure maple syrup for a topping, but if you prefer pancake syrup or honey that is okay to use. 
You can really use any type of fresh berry to top on this french toast recipe. Whatever you have on hand will do.

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