Gingerbread Spiced Creme Brûlée Toast
Find the recipe video here.
Get inspired with this delicious festive toast, inspired by crème brûlée and gingerbread!
Did you know that the first recorded term French toast [recipe] was around 300 A.D., in Rome, as it was included in a cookery book by Apicius, Cooking and Dining in Imperial Rome. The concept spread throughout Europe, making its way to the States.
Joseph French, apparently introduced it to America, and the name was created by accident in 1724, but due to a grammatical error, the dropped-off apostrophe "s" from French's toast stuck, or so the legend goes. By 1871, "French toast" made its way in the North American, Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink.
In France, it's called, pain perdu (lost bread), or what we like to call eggy bread in my home. French toast is traditionally made with a rich, custardy bread, that is stale or day-old bread; like the traditional version, you'll find it in various ways, depending on the country you're in but the eggy base is generally similar.
Making this recipe:
This gingerbread toast recipe is simple and takes little technical skills. Grab a mixing bowl, a whisk, and a baking dish! You're already halfway there!
Instead of using stale bread, I used a sourdough loaf. Sourdough is a great bread that has the funk (sourness) needed to make this recipe stand out from the traditional French toast version. There's plenty of room for versatility, so feel free to add your favourite fresh fruit on the side, or a drizzle of bourbon in the syrupy brown butter sauce.
Whatever name you call it in your home, this modern take on a classic is sweet and flavourful toast for breakfast or brunch for the entire family during the holidays. You can enjoy one thick slice or if you're feeling a wee bit indulgent, have two, I'm not judging you over here!
Just in time for National French Toast Day, seriously, check it out here!
Shop Equipment:
Make this gingerbread spiced toast, inspired by crème brûlée and French toast. It’s the perfect breakfast for the holidays!
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup (150g ) brown sugar, (packed)
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 6 slices (about 1 inch thick) thick sourdough bread, or French bread (*See notes)
- 4 large eggs
- 1 medium naval orange, skin washed (for zesting)
- 1 1/2 cup (360ml) unsweetened almond milk (or whole milk)
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated, more for garnish
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon Confectioners’ sugar (icing sugar), (to garnish )
- In a small saucepan (1.5 or 2 Qt.-capacity) or nonstick skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat. When the butter starts to slightly bubble and brown, add the brown sugar and molasses, stirring the mixture until the brown sugar has dissolved with no lumps. Turn off the heat and immediately pour the mixture into a 9x13 inch baking dish.
- Place each slice of bread in the baking dish in a single layer on top of the brown sugar mixture.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, clove, and vanilla together until incorporated. Pour the egg mixture over the slices of bread in the baking dish, gently pressing them into the mixture to make sure the bread slices are submerged.
- Zest about half of the orange or until there is about 1/2 teaspoon over the tops of the bread and egg mixture. Cut the orange in slices 6 to 8 slices. Place the orange slices in a small bowl and wrap with cling film, then place it in the refrigerator. (We will use the orange slices later for serving).
- Cover the baking dish with a lid, or cling film and refrigerate 4 to 8 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Remove the baking dish from the refrigerator and allow it to sit to reach room temperature (about 15-20 minutes).
- Bake for 35-42 minutes, uncovered, until the slices of toast rise, and become browned and toasted on top.
- Sprinkle a little freshly grated nutmeg over the top of the toasts, immediately. Then, serve one slice of toast on a plate with a light dusting of Confectioners’/icing sugar on top, and 1 or 2 orange slices. Enjoy!
- If you don't have a soft and thick sourdough bread, just buy an artisan country loaf so that you can cut the slices thick.
- If you use French bread, remove the crusts before placing the bread slices in the dish, as French bread typically have thicker and chewier crusts.
- If you don't want to wait 4-8 hours, this will still work and taste delicious. After following the Steps 1-4, you can allow the bread to sit in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours, or even a mere 2 hours still will work. Then, proceed from Step 5.
