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Vegan: Challah French Toast

Source of Recipe

"The Friendly Vegan Cookbook" by Michelle Cehn and Toni Okamoto


Recipe Introduction

"Challah is best enjoyed fresh, torn from the loaf straight out of the oven, but don't let that day-old (or two-day-old) challah go to waste!! Even after it gets a little too hard to enjoy on its own, it makes the *perfect* base for French toast. This is a denser, chewier spin on traditional French toast and is a classic weekend breakfast in many Jewish households. Michelle has many fond childhood memories of waking up to the sweet, cinnamony smell of challah French toast cooking in the kitchen, and we both plan to continue this tradition. We hope you'll do the same."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 1 loaf vegan challah (store-bought or homemade)
â—¦ 1 (14-ounce) block silken tofu, drained
â—¦ ¼ cup unsweetened, plain soy milk
â—¦ 1 teaspoon ground flaxseed meal
â—¦ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
â—¦ 1 teaspoon cornstarch
â—¦ 1 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
â—¦ 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
â—¦ 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
â—¦ â…› teaspoon salt
â—¦ 2 tablespoons canola oil, plus additional as needed

Optional toppings:
â—¦ Maple syrup
â—¦ Powdered sugar
â—¦ Vegan butter
â—¦ Fresh fruit
â—¦ Vegan whipped cream


Recipe

If you're using fresh challah, preheat the oven (or toaster oven) to 300° F. Slice the challah into ¾-inch-thick slices, arrange them on a baking sheet, and bake for 10 minutes. If you're using challah that's a few days old and already dried out, skip this step.

In a blender, purée the tofu, soy milk, flaxseed meal, and vanilla extract. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes. Then add the cornstarch, flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt and blend again until smooth. Pour the batter into a bowl large enough to easily dip the bread in.

Heat 1 tablespoon of canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Working with a few slices at a time, dip challah slices into the batter, allowing each side to bathe in the batter for 20 to 40 seconds, and place on the pan. Cook for about 5 minutes on each side, until lightly browned, and then, using a spatula and the side of the pan, gently lift the bread to rest on its sides to lightly cook these portions. It's okay if there are some little batter areas that don't hit the pan. Repeat with the remaining slices, adding more oil to the pan as needed. Serve immediately with any optional toppings.

Makes 6 to 8 servings