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Introduction to French Toast and Its Variations
French toast is a typical breakfast meal that has brought joy and satisfaction with generations through their sweet and smooth interior and crispy brown crust. French toast has its origins from Europe and is known in French as “pain perdu” meaning “lost bread”, this was so because the French used to prepare this delicacy in order to transform stale or leftover bread. In time, this simple plate has been steadily garnished and changed beyond count, and the components go from fresh fruits and spices to those syrupy components.
However, the common recipe for making the French toast contains eggs, milk, and bread with new variations. Among those variation, people would love to try the Coconut French Toast as this recipe has a touch of tropics. Coconut is quite gentle on the sweetness and the creamy richness which makes it perfectly to be served with the crunchiness of French toast.
Here in this article we’ll give you an insight on how to prepare delectable coconut French toast and additional hints on preparation and serving styles. This perfectly makes brunch or simply want to jazz up breakfast routine, The Coconut French Toast is wonderful in its simplicity.
Why Use Coconut in French Toast?
Here’s why coconut works so well in French toast:
- Creaminess: Coco milk is a high quality, thick cream that replaces regular dairy milk when used when soaking the bread so that they turn out to have a very creamy feel when making the French toast.
- Flavor: In its benefits, coconut has a mild, sweet taste that goes well with other additions such as vanilla, cinnamon and maple syrup to name a few.
- Crunch: You can fold shredded coconut or coconut flakes in batter or garnish it on top or even serve it with coconut cream as an amazing and grainy topping that complements the spongy toast.
- Dairy-Free Option: So for people who cannot take milk due to lactic intolerance or such people who are vegans, then coconut milk works well as a milk substitute and in addition to that it is thick and rich in flavor.
Having got a clear understanding of why coconut is used in most recipes, let’s proceed to the ingredients you will require to prepare coconut French toast at home.
The following are the items that you will need in making the Coconut French Toast:
For the Batter:
- 4 large eggs: Can be said to be one of the basic foundations of any excellent French toast batter. The eggs bind the ingredients and make the dish custard like.
- 1 cup coconut milk: It has a role in thickening most of the sauces and provides a touch of coconut flavor.
- 1 tsp vanilla extract: When added to food, it intensifies the total tastes of the food and gives a warm sweet touch.
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon: Well, for a slight Ising of the sp and a warm feeling.
- 1/4 cup shredded coconut: Optional; to chop fine and add to the batter for an added coconut flavor.
- 1-2 tbsp sugar (or sweetener of your choice): Optional, to tone up the sweetness of the batter a little bit.
For the Bread:
6 slices of thick-cut bread: It is recommended that a richer bread base be used as the brioche, challah or French bread as these varieties are not too saturated when they absorb the batter.
For Cooking:
Butter or coconut oil: To allow the French toast to be crisp when it is fried to the required golden brown color.
For Toppings:
- Maple syrup: Often served with French toast Also Read: Whipped Cream Cheese Spread Recipe.
- Toasted coconut flakes: Used to bring more crispiness and enhanced coconut flavor in the dish.
- Fresh fruit: Any type of berries, bananas or mangoes go well with coconut.
- Powdered sugar: When in fact it is to apply a sweet dusting on top.
With these ingredients in your hands you can start preparing a dish! Below, you will find easy instructions for making the perfect coconut French toast.
Check Out: How to Make Creamy Garlic Shrimp Toast?
Instructions
Step 1: In order to prepare the batter follow the following procedures
So now, in the bowl, beat the eggs along with the coconut milk, vanilla extract, cinnamon and sugar if used. Stir gently with a whisk until the ingredients are amalgamated through and slightly fizzy on the surface. In case you include shredded coconut in the batter then you should include it at this stage. When the mixture is ready it should be thick like a cream and should have a smell of coconut.
Step 2: Soaking of Bread Should be accomplished as follows
Dip your thick slices of bread in coconut batter one at a time until they are all coated. Allow each slice to be soaked for approximately thirty seconds on each side to allow the mixture soak into the bread but NOT become mushy. The idea is to get the bread to be a complete cover without having it compromise into crumbs.
Step 3: How to preheat the pan There are different ways of preheating a pan depending on the type of cookware that you are using.
Melt a great deal of butter or coconut oil in a massive skillet or a frying pan and put it on the medium flame. As the oil melts and before taking up considerable heat, immerse the bread that was soaked earlier. This makes the meat crispy when being -cooked.
Step 4: how to Cook the French Toast is the next step
Put the slices of bread that has been soaked into the milk gently on the hot pan. Some parts of the vegetable took 2-3minutes on each side to cook and resulted in being crispy and of golden-brown color. Turn the slices over carefully so that they do not crack. Depending on your stove setting you may need to decrease or increase the heat a little so they don’t burn.
Step 5: Toast the Coconut Flakes (If Desired)
If you’re topping with toasted coconut, the process is as easy as sprinkling a couple of handfuls of coconut flakes onto a now-dry pan. Place it over low heat and stir once in a while until they change color to golden brown and give out a toasted aroma. This takes about 2-3 minutes.
Step 6: Serve
When your French toast is well fried, it is ready, the next thing is to remove it from the pan to a plate. After that, it’s best to serve and garnish it with maple syrup, the powdered sugar, fresh fruits and the toasted coconut flakes.
Tips and Tricks for Perfecting Your Coconut French Toast
Use Thick Bread: The thicker the bread the better it will be for the coconut batter and you won’t have overly soggy bread. In this case the best choices are brioche, challah or continental french bread.
- Don’t Oversoak the Bread: It must be soaked sufficiently, but over-soaking implies in keeping the bread in the batter for too long, and the toast turns out spongy. For each side it is more than enough time, approximately 30 seconds each.
- Adjust the Heat: Begin with medium each level and turn it up or down as required. If the heat is too high, the outside will be burnt while the inside is still raw. They did not want it to be too low either for it might turn out limp.
- Preheat the Pan: By doing that you have to make sure that the pan is hot enough when putting the bread inside so that it turns brown well.
- Get Creative with Flavors: To give an extra tropical feel to these you could mix in some coconut rum or almond essence into the batter. You can also try other spices such as nutmeg or cardamom as well.
Coconut French Toast Server Accompaniment and Garnishing
- Classic Style: Pour the maple syrup on top, add powdered sugar and accompany the dish with fresh berries. There was no overcomplication of flavors in this recipe which is perfect to give centre stage to the taste of coconut.
- Tropical Paradise: Coconut French toast should be served with slices of bananas, mango or pineapples on top of it. You can then garnish with toasted coconut flakes and then sprinkle coconut syrup for that complete coconut experience.
- Nutty Delight: Top it up with a handful of toasted almonds, pecans, or macadamia nuts and this gives a very nice contrasting texture from the soft and soggy French toast. One should be informed that a drizzle of honey or agave syrup complements this nutty variation nicely.
- Chocolaty Indulgence: For the more liberal experience of the breakfast meal you could actually over your French toast with melted dark chocolate or chocolate syrup. Served with new strawberries on top and a spoon of whipped cream.
- Vegan Option: To make this recipe vegan instead of eggs, use the ground flaxseed in water combination (flax eggs,), and for sautéing use coconut oil or plant base butter.
Conclusion
Coconut French toast recipe is one tasty meal that you should consider trying out in the morning especially during breakfast or brunch. One more variant using coconut milk and shredded coconut will make French toast different from traditional ones. If you are cooking this as a weekend indulgence or serving for brunch or for festive meal, everyone will be smiling after the coconut French toast is served.
As I have prepared the recipe and given you details of toppings and how to do it in this article, you now have all that it takes to make coconut French toast at home. Well then, let’s start gathering all your ingredients and let’s get cooking and taste the yumminess of the coconut French toast!
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FAQ’s
1. In regards too the bread, is it possible to use other types of breads or does the recipe call for a specific type of breads?
Yes and no, you can really use any bread that you like, but it is recommended that you use thicker bread such as brioche bread, challah bread, or the French bread because they would be more effective in soaking up the batter made of coconut.
2. What can be prepared to go with coconut French toast?
As for serving, Coconut French toast is best served with fresh fruit, drizzled maple syrup, sprinkling of toasted coconut flakes or even a spoonful of whipped cream for those seeking for a bit more luxury of breakfast.
3. Is it possible to prepare the batter ahead of time?
Yes, the batter cannot be prepared before hand and left for sometime, it could even be left in the refrigerator for up to a day. It is recommended that it should be stirred before use but not necessary required to be freshly made each time as with normal fruit Yogurts.