Brioche is now almost ubiquitous, having forced its French way into our kitchens with its sweet, soft, spongy deliciousness. And the fact that the big supermarkets actually sell whole brioche loaves flown in from France shows just how popular this French delicacy is.
I used to love French toast as a kid. Such a special treat. Even when my father explained that it was traditionally a way of eating stale bread, it seemed a clever solution to a problem to me, at least.
My mother always served it with bacon, which was cheap then, and my grandmother’s ‘imitation maple syrup’. I still do the same, and hardly ever buy the expensive real maple syrup. Try mamma’s – you might like it too.
This is such an easy thing to do, and for me, makes breakfast a feast. Any day of the week.
The fry up
Ingredients for 2 serves:
½ brioche loaf – cut into 1” thick slices (should be about 6 slices)
2-3 fresh eggs
¾ cup milk
Butter, vegetable oil
4 rashers bacon
Fresh fruit, sliced or halved
For the sauce:
2 tablespoons each of honey, golden syrup and lemon juice
Method:
Put the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and heat through until simmering. Turn off heat and put aside.
Fry the bacon in a large non-stick frying pan, then put on kitchen paper on a plate and keep in a warm oven.
While the bacon is frying, whisk the eggs and milk in a large bowl with a fork until blended. When the bacon is cooked, add some butter and a little oil to the pan. Place the bread slices in the mix a couple (or 3 if you have a big pan) at a time, drain and place in the pan on a medium heat. Don’t be tempted to move them around.
Delicious, eggy brioche
Trust the process, let them brown first, then turn them, and while they brown on the other side, (you’ll see them puff a little – perfect!) put two (or 3) more slices in the mix, then into the pan, putting the cooked ones in the oven with the bacon.
Don’t leave them too long in the egg mixture, but make sure they get a good coating. If you have some lovely berries or fruit, fry it sliced in the pan for a minute or two at the end, and place as a garnish.
Serve with ‘mamma’s syrup’ on the side.
Brioche Mark 2
I hope you don’t mind my putting this simple recipe up, but so often we forget the easy and delicious in our search to stretch ourselves to try something new. Sometimes, it’s just good to do easy.
Chrissie 🙂
