This article is about the food. French toast recipe other uses, see Egg bread.
French toast is a dish made of sliced bread soaked in beaten eggs and typically milk, then pan fried. It may also be called pain doré, “golden bread”, in Canada. There are fifteenth-century English recipes for pain perdu. An Austrian and Bavarian term is pafese or pofese, from zuppa pavese, referring to Pavia, Italy. The word “soup” in the dish’s name refers to bread soaked in a liquid, a sop.
Slices of bread are soaked or dipped in a mixture of beaten eggs, often whisked with milk or cream. Sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla may be variously added to the mixture. The bread is then fried in butter or olive oil until browned and cooked through. Day-old bread is often used, both for its thrift and because it will soak up more egg mixture without falling apart. The cooked slices may be served with sugar or sweet toppings such as jam, honey, fruit, or maple syrup.