Cinnamon French Toast with Strawberry Orange Sauce

Craving something fancier than everyday French toast? I’ve got you covered. This is what I call Sunday morning French toast. It’s special, and it takes a little extra time, but trust me when I say it’s definitely worth it.

This is my husband’s favorite breakfast. He’s the (self-proclaimed) French toast king, and he takes his title very seriously. There are several methods of making French toast, and people can be very particular about the kind of bread that should be used, or the exact amount of time one should dunk the bread. Some people insist that you should soak the bread first, while others adamently proclaim that the bread should barely kiss the batter before hitting the griddle.

We’ve done it all. Tried every kind of bread, used every dunking technique. Obviously, some are better than others. For one, French toast is supposed to be soft, which means you need the batter to actually soak in to the bread. At least a little. And another thing – no one (and by no one I mean me) wants to eat French toast and think, “This tastes healthy.”, so whole-grain-whole-wheat-whole-anything is out.

Which leaves us with our winner. Brioche for the bread, and ten seconds per side for the dunk. Hallelujah, this is a good combination.

Cinnamon French Toast with Strawberry Orange Sauce

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 240kcal

Print Recipe

Equipment

• griddle
• stick blender

Ingredients

French Toast

• 12 slices brioche
• 6 tablespoons half and half
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• butter for griddle

Sauce

• 1 pound strawberries chopped
• 1/2 orange zest and juice
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Macerated Strawberries

• 1 pound strawberries sliced
• 2 tablespoons sugar

For Serving

• whipped cream
• orange zest

Instructions

French Toast

• Heat the griddle to 300 degrees.
• Combine the half and half, eggs, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla in a large bowl. Whisk until ingredients are well-blended. Submerge a slice of bread into the liquid, and hold it there for ten seconds. Repeat with all of the bread.
• Place slices on a buttered griddle and cook until golden. Flip and repeat.

Sauce

• Combine the strawberries, orange juice and zest, sugar, and salt in a small pot, and bring to a boil.
• Reduce to a simmer until berries are soft, about 5-8 minutes. Using a stick blender, blend until smooth.
• Bring to a simmer for 10 more minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

Macerated Strawberries

• Prepare the macerated strawberries by gently mixing them with the sugar. Let sit for a half-hour while preparing the rest.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice with 1 tablespoon sauce | Calories: 240kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 11g