Your French Toast Deserves The Waffle Treatment

A properly sweet, savory, and starchy breakfast is a luxury for folks who don't have the time to cook anything more than toast most mornings. Then, whenever you are able to whip up something special, there's the French toast vs. waffle conundrum to contend with.

Luckily, French toast waffles are now a thing, so you don't have to make a choice. They're not just a hybrid of two beloved breakfast items either. They also provide you with a practical way of optimizing your time in the kitchen by cooking food faster. Take out your waffle iron to make French toast that's still soft and fluffy on the inside while crisped-up and golden on the outside, with divots to contain more of your favorite toppings to boot.

Start by preheating the waffle iron and applying non-stick cooking spray if needed. Next, make your usual French toast batter (or follow our recipe and swap milk with cream) and dunk your choice of bread in it. Brioche remains ideal for a buttery toast, but you can switch things up further by using the spongy babka. Let the excess batter drip from the soaked bread by taking it out with a slotted spatula or placing it on a wire rack. Set the bread in the heated waffle iron and gently close it. Wait 3 to 4 minutes for the bread to turn golden and crispy on both sides. Repeat the steps for as many bread slices as you plan to serve.

The beauty of using a waffle iron instead of the griddle to make your French toast is how the bread comes out more or less equally crispy on both sides. You spend less time making sure each side comes out as toasted as you want them to so you can prepare your preferred toppings and other breakfast dishes. It's also more economical than making waffles since you can use day-old bread. Stale (not moldy) loaves are good for French toast waffles since their dryness allows them to absorb more of the batter without falling apart. Make sure to cut the slices thick enough so the bread remains fluffy and creamy inside. Don't press down on the waffle iron when closing it, too, to avoid flattening the bread. 

The best part about making French toast waffles is their divots, or the pockets where maple syrup and butter can form creamy, sugary pools. They also hold more of the smaller toppings like chopped nuts, sliced pieces of fruit, and berries, so you get a better proportion of bread and toppings with each bite. 

Use the time you save from cooking your French toast with the waffle iron to make savory sides. Crispy bacon, crunchy fried chicken, juicy sausages, and fluffy scrambled eggs are all great choices for balancing the sweetness of the bread and the toppings. Of course, you can also eat French toast waffles fresh from the waffle iron.