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Almond-Crusted French Toast

Source of Recipe


Cook's Illustrated



List of Ingredients



• ½ cup slivered almonds
  
• 4 Tbsp light brown sugar
  
• 8 large slices hearty white sandwich bread or good-quality challah
  
• 1½ cups whole milk, warmed
  
• 3 large egg yolks
  
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted, plus 2 Tbsp for cooking
  
• ¼ tsp table salt
  
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
  
• 1 Tbsp Triple Sec
  
• 1 tsp grated orange zest
  






Instructions



1. Process ½ cup slivered almonds and 1 tablespoon light brown sugar in food processor until coarsely ground, 12 to 15 one-second pulses (you should have about ½ cup crumbs).
   
   
2. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300° F. Place bread on wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet. Bake bread until almost dry throughout (center should remain slightly moist), about 16 minutes, flipping slices halfway through cooking. Remove bread from rack and let cool 5 minutes. Return baking sheet with wire rack to oven and reduce oven temperature to 200° F.
   
   
3. Whisk milk, yolks, sugar, cinnamon, 2 tablespoons melted butter, salt, vanilla, Triple Sec, and orange zest in large bowl until well blended. Transfer mixture to 13- x 9-inch baking pan.
   
   
4. Soak bread in milk mixture until saturated but not falling apart, 20 seconds per side. Using firm slotted spatula, pick up bread slice and allow excess milk mixture to drip off; repeat with remaining slices. Place soaked bread on another baking sheet or platter. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon nut mixture over one side of each slice of soaked bread.
   
   
5. Heat ½ tablespoon butter in 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat. When foaming subsides, use slotted spatula to transfer 2 slices soaked bread to skillet, nut-mixture side down first, and cook until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and continue to cook until second side is golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes longer. (If toast is cooking too quickly, reduce temperature slightly.) Transfer to baking sheet in oven. Wipe out skillet with paper towels. Repeat, cooking with remaining bread, 2 pieces at a time, adding ½ tablespoon of butter for each batch. Serve warm, passing maple syrup separately.
   
   Serves 4