National French Toast Day

One amazing blend of foods is perfectly able to make a morning fantastic, and it’s a blending of eggs, milk, and cinnamon with bread dipped in. There’s something about the savory-sweet smell of it, and the anticipation of having it painted with butter and drizzled with syrup, with a side of breakfast sausage or bacon and a tall glass of orange juice. The promise of this deliciousness will help to get a person out of bed on even the worst of days.

National French Toast Day is one that honors this amazing breakfast delight and encourages everyone to enjoy it for breakfast (or lunch, or even dinner!) either alone or with a few friends or family members.

Get ready for National French Toast Day!

History of National French Toast Day

The breakfast favorite French toast goes by many names, depending on where it is being served up. Some of the few fun names include eggy bread, German toast, poor knights’ pudding, or Bombay toast. But no matter what it is called, this delicious food is always made of the same key ingredients: whipped egg, milk – or cream – and bread.

This tasty sweet snack is also often served with sugar or syrup and fruit, or perhaps a bit of powdered sugar sprinkled on top, and consists of bread slices that are fried in a mixture of milk and egg–with the all-important cinnamon thrown into the mixture as well.

In France, its name is ‘pain perdu’, which literally means ‘lost bread’, because it would often be made with stale or old bread. Although most people tend to call it French Toast, the dish isn’t necessarily known to have come from France.

Some ancient Latin recipes from the 4th-century mention soaking bread in milk before frying, and in fourteenth Century Germany the term ‘poor knights’ pudding’ was coined for the sweet treat because it was seen as an affordable meal for those without too much money to spend. Today, it’s eaten across the world as a breakfast meal or a sweet snack.

In Italy, there’s a savory version of this dish, called ‘mozzarella en carrozza’, which calls for the egg-soaked bread to include slices of mozzarella cheese before they are fried. This name literally means ‘mozzarella in a carriage’. So, in this case, it’s actually possible to have eggy bread for a main meal, as well as for dessert!

How to Celebrate National French Toast Day

So how can you celebrate National French Toast Day? Well, here are a few interesting ideas to get started:

Order French Toast at a Restaurant

This unique meal is not on every menu, of course, but it should certainly be on the list of foods offered by many cafes and diners that serve breakfast or brunch-type meals. Plenty of chain restaurants are famous for their breakfast menus and offer delicious options for French Toast. In fact, some of them might even be offering a discount just because it’s National French Toast Day!

• International House of Pancakes (IHOP). With more than 1800 restaurants, IHOP is a great way to get that French Toast fix on this day. In addition to the US, they also have locations in Canada, Guam, Dubai, Mexico, Kuwait, Saudia Arabia and more. And in most places, they keep the syrup right on the table so guests can have easy access to maple or berry!
• Bob Evans. French Toast made from thick slices of Brioche bread is a delightful offering on the menu of this midwestern US restaurant. Don’t forget to include some slices of their famous breakfast sausages on the side.
• Cracker Barrel. Mama’s French Toast is hard to beat, but can be found at Cracker Barrel locations all throughout the southeastern US. Using their famous freshly baked sourdough bread, it’s a unique take on this delicious classic.
• Denny’s. This classic diner founded in the 1950s is still serving up its tasty breakfast foods all day (and night) long. French toast is just one of the many breakfast menu items Denny’s offers in their more than 1700 locations in at least 14 different countries all around the world.

Make French Toast at Home

If you’ve got any stale bread in the kitchen, this is a great way to use it up. The recipe tends to call for bread that’s at least a day old because older slices will be able to soak up the tasty egg and milk mixture without falling apart. Then, once it has been fried up, go ahead and slather on as much butter, jam, syrup, fruit or honey as you like. Those who are feeling extra indulgent might want to pop a swirl of cream on top!

Cook Up Some Unique French Toast Recipes

For a fun departure from the usual, consider taking French Toast to another level by adding interesting ingredients. Some ideas include adding orange or lemon zest, spices such as nutmeg, or a bit of brown sugar.

Try out these clever recipes or get creative in the kitchen and come up with some of your own:

• Pancakes in Paris French Toast. Using brioche bread for the toast, this recipe incorporates the normal ingredients, plus adds some thick banana slices on top.
• Baked Blueberry Mascarpone French Toast. Tear up pieces of french toast, pile into a baking dish with frozen blueberries, mascarpone cheese mixed with powdered sugar, and drizzle over some french toast batter. Bake to perfection!
• Peanut Butter and Jelly French Toast. A fun twist on a classic. Make up some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, dip them in a favorite french toast batter and fry them up!