Introduction

Happy May, and Happy Mother’s Day weekend to every kind of mother!

This weekend we celebrate, remember and hopefully gather in person with our beloved families to embrace and share some of our favorite Mother’s Day traditions. In our house, there is no better way to celebrate Mom than to cut her flowers from the garden and prepare her a delicious brunch that includes Challah French Toast.  

For this special occasion, Kanan Baking Company would love to share our delicious French Toast Batter recipe that we used at our Wildflour Bakery & Café. We have also included a variety of toppings to satisfy everyone’s palette. 

We recommend using our famous Kanan Baking Company Plain, Chocolate Chip or Cinnamon Challah. Not a challah fan? No problem! our Sourdough, French Baguette or Gluten-Free Breads are great substitutes. 

French toast is a straightforward recipe with simple ingredients: eggs, half and half and cinnamon.  Our batter is your basic recipe with just a couple of extra tasty ingredients like honey, orange zest and vanilla to give the egg custard a subtle depth of flavor. See below for the full recipe and toppings. 

Toppings are abundant and can be complemented based on which Challah you choose to use. For example, our Chocolate Chip Challah French toast is delicious when it’s smothered in peanut butter and topped with sliced bananas. More of a purist, use our Cinnamon Challah and dust with powder sugar and a generous pour of pure Maple Syrup.  Whatever bread you choose, be sure to order online for home delivery! If you are living in Southern California, check with your local Costco. Many carry our Challah under the Wildflour Label. 

Toppings for French Toast

1 - Berry Compote

Berry compote is a delicious and simple way to take your french toast to the next level. Not only that, it’s straightforward to make! 

Pick your berries (fresh or frozen) and throw them in a small saucepan at medium-low heat. You’ll want to make sure you have 2-3 cups of berries on hand as they tend to cook down. 

As they begin to warm up, you’ll notice them starting to release their juices - that’s when you’ll want to add sugar. As berries tend to vary drastically in sweetness over the year, it’s always best to add sugar by taste. Start with a tablespoon of honey, sugar, or coconut sugar and increase as needed.

As the berries heat up, they’ll start to bubble. Reduce heat so it simmers, and continue to let them bubble for ten minutes. Gently use a wooden spoon to break the berries into smaller pieces.

After ten minutes, you can either take it off the stove immediately or add about a tablespoon of cornstarch, constantly mixing until the sauce thickens before removing it from heat.

Top your french toast with the compote, some whipped cream and maple syrup!

2 - Cooked cinnamon apples + chopped pecans

Apples are another great option for a topping. You can stew your sliced apples in the saucepan on medium heat with butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar until they are soft when poked with a fork. Chopped pecans are a perfect companion!

3 - Shaved Dark Chocolate + Cherries

Start by halving your cherries and removing the pits. Next, cook your cherries following the tips for berry compote. Top your french toast with the cherry compote, shaved dark chocolate and fresh whipped cream.

4 - Peanut Butter + Chocolate Chip Challah

This classic sweet and salty pairing is delicious as french toast! Simply spread peanut butter on your chocolate chip challah and top with maple syrup! 

Best Bread for French Toast

We recommend using challah as it’s simply the best bread for french toast! Countless recipe blogs list it as their favourite recommendation. The soft, sweet bread is perfect for this breakfast, and it makes a beautiful presentation.

We even have several flavours for you to try! Check out our Kanan Baking Company Plain, Chocolate chip or Cinnamon Challah. You can even order them online through our shop and have them delivered to your door!

A Few Tips Before Starting

1 - We recommend whisking the french toast batter at regular intervals to prevent the egg and milk from separating.

2 - When making a big batch of french toast, put the cooked pieces on a plate in the oven at 200F to keep them warm.

Kanan Baking Company’s Challah French Toast Batter

4 eggs

1 cup Half & Half or whole milk

1 tsp Orange Zest

1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

1/2 Tbsp Honey

1/4 tsp Kosher Salt

1tbsp. butter

One loaf of Kanan Baking Company’s Challah 

Add all ingredients into a shallow bowl (a pie plate is a great option!), and whisk together until combined. Cut challah into thick slices and set aside.

Preheat frying pan to medium heat.

Add the butter to the frying pan, allowing it to melt. Dip both sides of the bread in the mixture, making sure you have an even coating. Place bread in the frying pan, flipping when the bread is golden. If the pan begins to look dry, add a bit more butter to prevent your french toast from sticking.

Garnish with powdered sugar, fresh berries or both and serve with real maple syrup! Or, try out some of our suggestions above and let us know how they turned out!

Are you preparing your batter in advance?

If you want to limit prep work on Mother’s Day, you can prep the batter in advance! You can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Leftovers?

Sometimes your eyes will be bigger than your stomach, and you’ll have leftover slices of french toast. But did you know that they’re perfect for busy weekday mornings?

French toast can be kept in the freezer for about a month after making it. When reheating, there are two options:

1 - In the Toaster

Simply pop your french toast out of the freezer and into the toaster, and heat until warmed through and slightly crispy.

2 - In the Oven

Heat your frozen french toast in the oven at 400F for four minutes per side or when you feel it’s slightly crispy.

If you’re in a rush, you can heat your french toast in the microwave, but it tends to dry it out! The toaster method is the favourite option among other recipe bloggers.

We wish you a Happy Mother’s Day and a beautiful May filled with sunshine,fresh air, family and weekends with french toast.