In fact, if you sprinkle a little extra sugar on the outside of your bread after you dip it into the mixture, you can get a spectacular golden brown finish on your toast. Not only does the egg-milk-sugar mixture soak into the bread and sweeten it from within, but it produces a crispy caramelized layer on the outside. SugarĪdding vanilla extract, cinnamon, and even a little nutmeg are all good ideas for French Toast, but one critical step we had been leaving out was to add sugar to the mixture. You want it to be moist throughout, but not totally saturated.įor stale bread, soak the bread slices for up to 20-30 seconds. The Dipįor fresh bread, we found that a 10-second dip on both sides soaked up just the right amount of egg mixture. Anything more and you’re making a Croque Monsieur. Anything less and the mixture is too thin. This gave us wildly inconsistent results.īut after a few kitchen tests, we’ve concluded that 3 eggs to 1 cup of milk is the ideal ratio. It really depended on how many eggs we had on hand. Previously, we’ve played fast and loose with this ratio. Rustic French loaf, a baguette, or even a pumpernickel will all work as well (although the visual presentation will look different). It is easy to find a whole loaf at most grocery stores and it adds a distinct tangy flavor that pairs nicely with the overall sweetness of the dish. Most styles of bread will work, but we often go with sourdough. If you prefer firmer centers, then a day or two old loaves of bread will be best. If you like your French toast to have a rich, custard-like center, then use a fresh loaf of bread. You will be able to soak up more of the egg-milk mixture, giving you more time to crisp the outsides without overcooking the insides. We recommend picking up a loaf of your favorite bread and cutting it into generous 3/4″-1” thick slices.

Pre-sliced sandwich bread is just too thin, cook through too quickly, and often results in rubbery French toast. The single best way to achieve exceptional French toast at a campsite (or anywhere for that matter) is to use whole loaf bread and slice it yourself.

French toast recipe