According to my 2017 Celebrate Everything calendar, it’s National French Toast Day, my friends!! Hooray! French toast is one of my favorite ways to use up the stale loaf of bread sitting in my pantry closet. Surely, you must agree. (Don’t tell me if you don’t. K? K.)
I mean, what could be simpler? All you need are some eggs, milk or cream, bread, and melted butter on a hot skillet. And cuz they’re delicious, I like to add vanilla and cinnamon in my dipping concoction. But the traditional batter doesn’t get even a little bit fancy.
Speaking of traditional, what’s the origin of French toast anyway? Did the French give us this tasty dish, as the name implies? In a word, nope.
French toast dates back to Roman times. If you think about it, this only makes sense. As long as we humans have been making bread, we’ve been looking for yummy ways to use it before it starts to mold.
While French toast is definitely eaten in France, they initially referred to it as “pain a la Romaine,” or Roman bread. Interesting, oui? Even today, the French don’t call it French toast. Instead they call it “pain perdu,” meaning lost bread.
It was the seventeenth-century English folk who gave us the term “French toast,” and Americans have been gobbling it up ever since.
The toppings for French toast are limitless. Minimalist will tell you all that’s needed is a pat of butter and the darkest grade of pure maple syrup you can find (the darker the grade, the more loaded it is with vitamins and minerals). My hubby likes to add a dollop of my parent’s homemade jams on his French toast, and I must admit that it adds a lovely ooh-la-la factor to every slice. And if you ask my brother Mike, he’ll tell you it isn’t French toast without some melty peanut butter underneath that unrefined maple syrup. Trust me, don’t knock it ’til you try it
No matter how you top off your French toast, adding some pasture-raised eggs (cooked to your liking) and sausages balances it out nicely. While breakfast foods are most often seen on the first plate of the day, there’s no reason to avoid eating breakfast for lunch or even dinner. When I was a kid, I loved breakfast for dinner. It felt like we were breaking the rules!
Gluten-free? That doesn’t necessarily mean no French toast for you. I’ve used gluten-free breads to satisfy my French toast craving. I’ve also used sprouted grain breads with great success (but I recommend letting the bread soak a little longer to soften it up). If you’re avoiding maple syrup and other sweeteners, just use the French toast slices to make a sandwich, with the eggs and sausage in the middle. No syrup necessary.
Drop your dinner plans and make your favorite French toast tonight. Young or old, your dinner mates will be happy to celebrate this national holiday with you. :)
Image from iStock/pkripper503.
Paula Widish, author of Trophia: Simple Steps to Everyday Self-Health, is a freelance writer and self-healther. She loves nothing more than sharing tidbits of information she discovers with others. (Actually, she loves her family more than that—and probably bacon too.) Paula has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Public Relations and is a Certified Professional Life Coach through International Coach Academy.
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