French Toast — Custard-Soaked and Golden

Ingredients

• 4 slices (3 cm thick) day-old brioche or challah, cut 3 cm thick; dry in a 120°C oven for 10 minutes if fresh
• For the custard
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 120 ml heavy cream (35% fat)
• 120 ml whole milk (3.5% fat)
• 30 g caster sugar, 1 tbsp per 2 eggs
• 5 ml vanilla extract
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg
• 1 pinch ground cinnamon
• For cooking
• 30 g unsalted butter
• 30 ml neutral oil, such as sunflower or grapeseed
• To finish
• 1 tbsp icing sugar, for dusting

Method

1. 1
   If the bread is fresh, arrange the slices on a rack set over a baking tray and place in a 120°C oven for 10 minutes to drive off surface moisture. Remove and allow to cool to room temperature. The surface should feel dry and slightly firm to the touch.
2. 2
   Combine the eggs, cream, milk, sugar, vanilla extract, nutmeg, and cinnamon in a wide, shallow dish. Whisk thoroughly until no streaks of egg white remain — any unincorporated white will cook into translucent, rubbery patches on the finished toast. If in doubt, strain through a fine-mesh sieve. The custard should be uniformly pale yellow and slightly frothy.
3. 3
   This is where the dish lives or dies. Lay the bread slices in the custard and soak for 2–3 minutes per side. The custard must penetrate to the centre without turning the bread to mush: press the centre of a slice gently — it should feel heavy and yielding, fully saturated, but the slice must still hold its shape and lift cleanly from the dish. Insufficient soaking produces a dry, bready core with only an eggy skin; excessive soaking disintegrates the bread into a mass that will collapse in the pan.
4. 4
   Set a wide, heavy pan over medium heat. Add the butter and neutral oil in equal measure. When the butter melts, foams, and the foam begins to subside, the surface is at approximately 150°C — the correct temperature for the Maillard reaction between egg proteins and milk sugars. Do not allow the butter to brown at this stage.
5. 5
   Lay the soaked slices into the pan without crowding. Do not press down — compression expels the custard infused during soaking. Cook for 2.5–3 minutes on the first side. The underside should develop a deep golden-brown crust; the aroma should be butter-forward with caramel and vanilla notes. A sulphurous or strongly eggy smell indicates the heat is too low or the egg-to-dairy ratio is off.
6. 6
   Turn each slice once and cook for a further 2.5–3 minutes. For slices cut at 3 cm, transfer the pan to a 180°C oven for 5 minutes to set the interior without scorching the exterior. The finished toast should be a uniform deep golden-brown on both faces — the colour of aged mahogany at the Reserve rung.
7. 7
   Remove from the pan or oven. Press the centre gently with a fingertip: a properly set French toast yields slightly and springs back. A permanent dent indicates the custard interior is still liquid and requires further cooking. Dust with icing sugar and serve immediately.