Challah French Toast

Hello! I will be outlining how to make some super delicious French toast using challah bread. You can also use French bread for this, and have it turn out good.

INGREDIENTS

One loaf of challah bread
1 cup of heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon vanilla
5 eggs
Butter (for frying pan)

EQUIPMENT

Two bowls; one large mixing and one smaller dish to hold egg yolks
Whisk
Medium frying pan (preferably nonstick)
Spatula for flipping bread
Bread slicing knife

Okay! Begin by putting your challah bread on a cutting surface, as so:

...and cut this into about one inch thick slices. You don't want skinny slices because they won't cook up well.

Now, get out that large mixing bowl and the smaller one, and fetch your eggs:

Before starting on the eggs, separate out the slices onto a large plate so they can dry out a little - this makes it hold the custard mixture better. A bonus: The challah slices look like clouds from Super Mario!

You're going to want to separate out the eggs - the whites in the large bowl, and the yolks into the smaller bowl. I find it's easiest to crack it, pull off one end of the shell and gently drain it out. Patience is key; you don't want to puncture the yolk. You can also crack the egg and drain the whites out through your fingers (wash your hands first!).

Now, you should have a bunch of egg white in one bowl and yolk in the other. If you messed up and punctured a yolk, it's okay - it won't ruin things. Now, what you do is grab your whisk, get comfortable and beat the egg whites until they resemble a big ol'bowl of spit! The reason we do this: If you just shove all the eggs in and beat it, sometimes you get globs or strings of the whites and that tends to stick to the toast and look like egg-bread. This yields a much more aesthetic result.

Now add in the yolks and blend until mixed.

Measure out one cup of the heavy cream, and add it in. Use the whisk to blend until smooth and mixed. This is called the "custard".

Add in your 1 tablespoon vanilla.

Now, take a minute and clean up the cutting board, bread crumbs, bread knife, bowl you had the yolks in, and make sure things are clean. Cleaning as you cook is the only way to go! Set up your work space:

Turn your burner to medium heat. Put a small bit of butter in, and when it's melted and sizzling slightly, it's game time.

Take a piece of the bread, plop it in the custard, and flip it a couple times, holding it at the edges. Do not squeeze it or otherwise molest the bread! Now, put it in the pan:

It shouldn't take too long for the first flip. You can tell it's ready for the first flip when you can nudge it slightly with your spatula and it just slides. After the first flip:

You're aiming for a golden color on both sides. This is halfway:

And this is perfect!Transfer the finished toast to a plate with a couple paper towels layered over it, to keep in the heat while you cook the rest of the loaf.