This recipe calls for thick pieces of bread soaked in vanilla and cinnamon-y goodness, and coated in crunchy cornflakes. A twist on the classic breakfast staple, this crunchy French toast is sure to be a part of your breakfast rotation!
There’s this amazing breakfast place in L.A. called Bea Bea’s that I always order from every time I travel to SoCal. They have such unique and awesome options especially for their pancakes and French toast. I usual order is their Green Tea Monster pancakes because that’s the item that my sister introduced me to when she first took me to Bea Bea’s. I absolutely love those pancakes. But, the last time I visited my family in L.A., half of them wanted to order that too so I figured I would try something new. Thank goodness I did! I ended up ordering the Crunchy Cornflakes which is French toast covered in cornflakes, and it was delicious. I got a hankering for it the other day, and since I don’t live in L.A., I thought I’d recreate it in my own kitchen!
The bread
In order to make this crunchy French toast successfully, you need to make sure you have thick slices of bread, at least about an inch. This is to ensure that it has enough structure to hold on to the cereal that it’s going to be coated in. Also, it needs to be able to hold enough of the egg-milk mixture without falling apart. Bea Bea’s used thick Hawaiian bread sliced, which is what I opted to use as well. Hawaiian bread has a sweetness to it that regular bread does not. If you can’t find that type of bread, you can also use brioche or challah!
The cereal
Any plain cornflakes will be a good option to coat your French toast in, but I used Honey Bunches of Oats because it has more textural elements to it, and because it’ll add a bit more sweetness. Frosted Flakes might be a bit too sweet to use, but it’s up to you.
Oil + butter
For cooking the crunchy French toast, I like to use a combination of olive oil and butter. I’m terrible at making pancakes or French toast in just butter because the butter burns too quickly. However, I love the flavor that butter brings, so I have to cook with it. One way I avoid burned butter is by mixing it with olive oil because oil has a higher smoking point than butter. Another benefit of the olive oil is that it makes the edges crispier, so it helps with that crunchy element.
The servings
This recipe is meant for just two folks, two pieces of French toast each. But, if you need to make more, you can definitely increase the ratio of the ingredients. For every additional person, add the following:
- 2 slices of bread
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp cinnamon
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup cornflakes
Tools you’ll need
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- pinch of salt
- 1 cup cornflakes
- olive oil and butter for cooking
Instructions
- Whisk the eggs with the milk, vanilla extract, cinnamon, salt in a rectangular dish about an inch deep. Mine can fit about two slices at a time. Soak the slices of bread in the mixture, making sure you get both sides.
- While the bread is soaking, smash up the cornflakes. To be a little cleaner, I smashed it in a big Ziploc bag. Pour the broken up cornflakes into a wide bowl. Then, one by one, carefully coat both sides of the soaked up bread slices with the cornflakes.
- Heat up a tablespoon of olive oil and a tablespoon of butter in a pan on medium heat. Once it's hot enough, cook the bread until it's golden brown on both sides. It'll take about 2-3 minutes each side, depending on how thick your bread slices are.
- Once you have your cooked crunchy French toast slices, serve with your choice of toppings! You can put powdered sugar, berries, and of course, the ever-classic maple syrup! If you're open to suggestions, I recommend mixing some plain Greek yogurt with the maple syrup. Enjoy!
// ON THE SCENE
- Bottom backdrop: Replica Surfaces — Cement
- Props: ceramic plates, matte forks, dipping bowl