Almonds lovers listen up ~ my Almond Poppy Seed French Toast is a super delicious twist on the classic breakfast treat ~ made with brioche bread and buttermilk in the batter, this is a winner!
I’m so happy it’s French toast season again. Well, it almost is, and we food bloggers have to be ahead of the game, our job is to inspire you to your next great mouthful, and fall comfort food is right around the bend, yay! There are a couple of fantastic things about this recipe. Of course, there’s the almond poppy seed thing, we don’t even need to discuss that. It’s so good. But here’s something else that you might not have tried. I made the batter with buttermilk instead of the usual milk or half and half. Not only does it lighten it up in terms of calories and fat, but it adds great flavor.
Aren’t poppy seeds beautiful? I love to cook with them, and I don’t know who thought of the idea of combining them with almond but that was a stroke of genius. Any time you add an element of interest to a dish I think it makes it more special, and more fun to eat. Why make plain French toast when you can get a galaxy of specks and a nice little crunch from a heaping tablespoon of poppy seeds?
A lot of people don’t realize that buttermilk is actually low in fat. It doesn’t contain any butter, it’s technically the stuff that’s leftover after butter making, so it’s actually very low in fat. The kind you usually find in cartons at the store is cultured, which makes it thicker and more flavorful. I love to bake with it so much that I make it part of my weekly shopping list. It keeps for a long time in the fridge, and I find endless uses for it.
French toast is the easiest of all the luxury breakfasts, you only have to whisk the simple batter together and dunk the bread. Because the rest is so simple, the bread takes on special significance. I try to get good bakery bread, unsliced so I can make nice thick pieces myself. The great thing is that you can take advantage of specials because you don’t need (or even want!) fresh bread for this dish. Stale is just fine. I got my poppy seed brioche in the day-old section for a fraction of the original cost. Love that.
Almond Poppy Seed French Toast
Ingredients
- 1 loaf day old bread, I used poppy seed brioche
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp poppy seeds
- 1/2 tsp almond extract, more to taste
- butter for the griddle
garnish
Instructions
- Slice the bread in nice thick slices
- Whisk the eggs in a wide shallow dish, a pie plate works well. Make sure to get the eggs completely beaten. Whisk in the buttermilk, sugar, poppy seeds, and extract and blend until the sugar is dissolved.
- Heat a griddle and butter it well.
- Soak each piece of bread in the batter before placing it on the griddle. It will only take a short soak on each side, you don't want it completely mushy inside.
- Cook the bread until it is golden on each side, and hot throughout. Serve hot with butter, maple syrup, and some sliced almonds on top. Dust with powdered sugar for a fancier presentation.
Notes
My family eats this all the time and it is my go-to with guests.