Toasted almond French toast

This place of mine feels a bit like the chocolate-almond-breakfast channel because those things have got to cover at least three-quarters of what I do here!  Well, I've got two of those beloved themes going on today.  No chocolate but plenty of almond goodness for a breakfast.  Since I do love anything almond-flavored, toasted almond French toast is something I'd definitely be interested in ordering if I saw it on a breakfast menu.  Since I haven't seen it on any restaurant menus recently, it's a good thing I can just whip it up at home.  

This is simply French toast with an almond twist.  I spotted a recipe for it from Gale Gand's Brunch but in the book, it was more of a decadent recipe, calling for cream, whole milk, and more sugar than I'd typically use.  So I took the basic idea and just applied it to my usual French toast framework.  No cream, I stick with low-fat milk, and dialed down the amount of sugar (since we know we'll be dousing our French toasts with a good amount of maple syrup, after all).

Rather than using ciabatta bread per that recipe (great idea but I didn't have it), I used standard white bread (I grabbed what I had on hand but if possible, a thick bakery-style white bread is what I like).  I know you don't need me to tell you to go with that challah or brioche, or whatever you like for your French toasts.  A touch of almond extract in the custard and the flakes of sliced almonds on top will get you to this simple toasted almond French toast for breakfast. 

If you're like me and at all wondering if those almonds are really going to stick to the French toast slices, I can tell you they do.  


I really like the toasted almonds on top of this French toast.  You get a little crunch against the softness of the bread for a great texture.

To affix that almond topping, it takes about 2 tablespoons of sliced almonds per piece of bread like you see here.  Lay the almond slices on the griddle in an evenly spread single layer roughly in the shape of the bread you're using.  Then, carefully lay the soaked bread on top and let it cook so that the almonds toast and everything sets. Flip and finish cooking until golden brown, warm, and delicious all round.

Next time you make French toast for breakfast, consider a simple toasted almond version like this one!

Recipe:

Toasted Almond French Toast
Loosely adapted from Gale Gand's Brunch; techniques applied to this recipe

- For 4 slices - 

2 large eggs
1/3 cup low-fat or whole milk
1 tablespoon sugar
Rounded 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon pure almond extract
4 slices of bakery-style thick white bread (or your preference of bread)
1/2 cup sliced almonds
Butter or neutral oil like canola, for griddle

In a shallow dish, lightly whisk eggs with the milk, sugar and extracts.

Heat a griddle or non-stick pan over medium-low heat.  To cook each French toast, grease the griddle and place a single, even but densely-packed layer of almonds in the approximate shape of your bread on top.  Soak bread on both sides with the custard then place on top of the layer of almonds.  Lightly press down.  Cook to golden brown, about 3-4 minutes.  Carefully flip the slice of bread over and cook the other side until golden, another 2-3 minutes.  Repeat with remaining bread.  Serve immediately while hot.