Orange French Toast

A recipe for Orange French Toast! Thick slices of bread are soaked in an orange-scented custard and pan-fried until golden.

This Orange French Toast is such a wonderful and easy way to use up leftover, thick-cut bread! It all comes together with just a little prep and less than 30 minutes for a quick addition to breakfast or brunch.

Thick slices of bread are soaked for a few seconds per side in a mixture of egg, milk, cream, orange juice and zest, vanilla, and salt before pan-frying in a hot skillet until heated through and golden.

Serve the Orange French Toast while still warm with a little powdered sugar, butter, whipped cream, orange slices, and/or maple syrup. It would also delicious with a few chopped roasted pecans or fresh fruit.

A Few Orange French Toast Tips

Bread that is a day or two old or has been dried (but not completely toasted) in the oven is best. You can even leave the slices uncovered on a wire rack at room temperature overnight to dry. Fresh bread will be more difficult to handle and may fall apart or become soggy.

The bread in the photographs are pre-sliced (about 1 inch, 2.5 centimeters) sandwich bread from my local Japanese bakery. If you don’t have one nearby, I also have a recipe to make Shokupan (Japanese Sandwich Bread) at home. Other delicious options include Challah and Brioche.

Cut the slices at least 1/2 inch (1.25 centimeters) and preferably 3/4-1 inch (2-2.5 centimeters) thick.

Whisk the egg and milk mixture until thoroughly combined. All of the egg pieces should be blended into the cream to create a smooth and light custard.

I personally like to add a combination of butter and vegetable oil to the pan when frying the French toast slices. The vegetable oil helps keep the butter from burning.

The Orange French Toast is best warm from the skillet. To keep the slices hot while frying the remaining pieces, arrange them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and place in a 200˚F (90˚C) oven until ready to serve.

Looking for more French Toast recipes?

Try my:

• Vanilla Honey French Toast
• Hong Kong Style French Toast
• Pumpkin French Toast Casserole

Orange French Toast Recipe

Adapted from Everything is Poetry

Print Pin

Orange French Toast

A recipe for Orange French Toast! Thick slices of bread are soaked in an orange-scented custard and pan-fried until golden.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine N/A

Keyword bread, breakfast, brunch, french toast, orange

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

0 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 4 Servings

Ingredients

• 3 large eggs
• zest of 1 orange
• 1/3 cup (80 milliliters) milk
• 1/3 cup (80 milliliters) heavy cream
• 1/4 cup (60 milliliters) fresh orange juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon (15 grams) unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 8 slices thick (at least 1/2 inch, 1.25 centimeters) bread

Optional Toppings:

• Whipped Cream
• Powdered sugar
• Butter
• Orange Slices
• Maple Syrup
• Fresh mint

Instructions

• In a large, wide bowl, whisk together the eggs, orange zest, milk, cream, orange juice, vanilla extract, and salt.
• In a large skillet, melt the butter and vegetable oil over medium-low heat.
• Once the butter is melted and the pan is hot, soak one slice of bread in the egg and milk mixture for about 30 seconds per side.
• Cook until golden, about 2 minutes per side. Adjust the heat between medium and low to create a golden color and thoroughly heated bread without burning.
• Repeat with remaining slices of bread, adding additional butter and vegetable oil to the pan as needed.
• Serve immediately with whipped cream, powdered sugar, butter, orange slices, and/or maple syrup and other desired toppings.