Vanilla Honey French Toast

A recipe for Vanilla Honey French Toast! Thick slices of bread are briefly soaked in a vanilla honey custard and pan-fried until golden.

This Vanilla Honey French Toast is the perfect way to use up leftover, thick-cut bread! Best of all, it comes together with just a little prep and in less than 30 minutes for a quick, yet decadent addition to breakfast or brunch.

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

Serve the warm Vanilla Honey French Toast with simply a little butter, honey or maple syrup, and fresh berries or try a more decadent option with whipped cream or even vanilla ice cream.

It is also delicious with a dusting of powdered sugar or cocoa powder.

A Few 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 grocery store. 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 about 3/4-1 inch (2-2.5 centimeters) thick.

If the honey is too thick to whisk, microwave or heat on the stove briefly until just runny enough to blend into the egg mixture. If hot, allow to cool slightly before whisking to keep the honey from cooking the eggs.

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 Vanilla Honey 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 recipes with honey?

Try my:

• Honey Almond Coffee Cake
• Mladenčići (Serbian Honey Cakes)
• Agurkai su Medumi (Lithuanian Cucumbers with Honey)

Vanilla Honey French Toast Recipe

Adapted from Fork Knife Swoon

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Vanilla Honey French Toast

A recipe for Vanilla Honey French Toast! Thick slices of bread are briefly soaked in a vanilla honey custard and pan-fried until golden.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine N/A

Keyword breakfast, brunch, french toast, honey, vanilla

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

0 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 8 Slices

Ingredients

• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup (118 milliliters) milk
• 1/2 cup (118 milliliters) heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) honey
• 2 teaspoons (10 milliliters) vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 8 thick slices bread Challah, Brioche, or Shokupan, 3/4-1 inch (2-2.5 centimeters) thick
• 1 tablespoon (15 grams) unsalted butter plus more as needed
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil plus more as needed

Optional Toppings:

• Whipped cream or butter
• Honey or maple syrup for drizzling
• Fresh berries
• Powdered sugar or cocoa powder for dusting

Instructions

• In a large, wide bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, honey, vanilla, cinnamon, 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 additional honey or maple syrup and desired toppings.