Pain perdu

( French toast )

The literal translation of pain perdu is ‘lost bread’, and describes a method of recycling day-old bread into a palatable, sweet dish. Today we tend to take our daily loaf of bread for granted, but many years ago when wheat was scarce and bread production required an incredible amount of work, it was unthinkable that a loaf of bread could ever be wasted, so it was put to good use in dishes such as this. Nowadays, French toast is made out of almost any dough, from bread to croissants, and it is still the best way to use up your old pastries. I have decided to use brioche here because, unlike bread, brioche has a high fat and egg content, so it is less likely to break apart and remains soft and silky when soaked in milk.

Serves 6

500 g (1 lb 2 oz) Brioche Dough

1 litre (35 fl oz) full-cream milk

150 g (5½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar

2 vanilla beans, halved lengthways, seeds scraped

5 eggs

pinch of fine salt

unsalted butter, for pan-frying

pure icing (confectioners’) sugar, for dusting

L Prepare the brioche dough following the method, to the end of the first prove. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

L Lightly grease and flour a 15 x 25 cm (6 x 10 in) loaf (bar) tin. Place the cold dough on a lightly floured work surface and use your hands to shape it into a 25 cm (10 in) long roll. Don’t spend too much time trying to make the roll smooth and regular — overworking your dough will make it very soft and sticky and, more importantly, we are only using this brioche as slices, so its initial shape is not a great concern. Place the roll in the prepared tin, cover with a damp cloth and set aside in a warm place to prove for 2 hours, or until doubled in size.

L Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). When the brioche has proved, remove the cloth and cover with a heavy baking tray. This forces the brioche to rise evenly into a neat rectangle. Bake for 40 minutes, then remove the brioche from the oven, remove the tray from the top, then turn the tin upside down and remove it. Return the brioche loaf to the oven (directly on the oven rack) and bake for another 15 minutes, or until the brioche is golden and springs back to the touch. Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Cooling it in the fridge will harden the fat in the brioche, which makes it easier to cut into neat and regular slices.

L Put the milk, sugar and vanilla beans and seeds in a saucepan and stir continuously over medium heat until the milk begins to simmer. Remove and discard the vanilla beans, then pour the milk into a flat-bottomed bowl. Cool slightly, then refrigerate until cold. I like to use cold milk when making French toast with fresh brioche; however, if you are using day-old brioche or other bread, there’s no need to refrigerate the milk, just leave it to cool a little in the bowl and use warm.

L Lightly beat the eggs and salt together in a separate flat-bottomed bowl, then set aside for 5 minutes. Using a serrated knife, cut the chilled brioche into 4 cm (1½ in) thick slices. Soak two slices of bread in the sweetened milk for a few seconds, turning the bread over to soak on the other side as well (don’t soak the slices for too long or they will fall apart during cooking). Transfer the soaked bread to the egg mixture and soak for a few seconds on both sides.

L Heat a large heavy-based frying pan over high heat. Add a small knob of butter and, when the butter starts to foam, add the soaked brioche and cook for 4 minutes on each side, or until golden brown and caramelised. Transfer to a wire rack. Repeat with the remaining brioche, milk and egg. Just before serving, dust the French toast with icing sugar. Serve with fresh, tangy fruits such as berries or a dollop of Greek-style yoghurt, to balance the sweetness of the toast.

tip

You will need to vary the amount of sugar in the recipe according to the type of bread you are using. If using ready-made brioche, which is already quite sweet, follow the recommended amount given in the recipe; however, if using croissants or an unsweetened bread, increase the sugar content of your milk recipe by about 50 g (1³/₄ oz) to 150 g (5½ oz).