Challah French Toast a la Mama

By Meredith Feingold
November 29, 2013

Meredith Feingold, a Pittsburgh native and University of South Carolina grad is the Website and Social Media Manager for the apparel company Straight Up Southern.

In my eyes, Sunday breakfast is a sacred time of the day, devoted to long sips of coffee and perfectly baked Challah French toast with golden edges and a schmeer of raspberry jam. I can attribute this sentimental feeling to the greatest of ladies: Mom. 

For as long as I can remember, French toast in the Feingold household was always made with the freshest Challah bread in town. Any other bread used for French toast was viewed as the black plague. 

If you were lucky enough to spend a Sunday morning in my household as a guest, you were always treated to French Toast a la Mama and you would be a changed person because of it.

Above Photo:  Heather’s Artisan Bakery Challah Bread . Warning-terriblyaddicting. Notice half of the loaf already eaten before the baking evenbegins!

Is it the fluffiness of the Challah bread creating the perfect French toast cloud as I take my first bit that makes me feel so passionate about this classic recipe? Maybe it is the warm feeling I get thinking of my mom as I recreate her recipe in Columbia while she’s nine hours away in Pittsburgh. Or is it thinking maybe one day I might be able to pass down French Toast a la Mama to my children? 

Whatever the reason, this French toast recipe will always be top of the list when it comes to go to family recipes.

Ingredients:

2/3 c milk
3 eggs
1 Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 loaf of Challah bread

Above Photo: French Toast a la Mama.

Go Local! Heather’s Artisan Bakery has a great selection of breads including Challah bread (you can find her team every Saturday at the Soda City Farmer’s Market)

Beat milk, eggs, sugar, and salt in a shallow bowl until well blended.  Slice Challah bread into thick slices.  Dip each slice of bread into the egg mixture, allowing bread to soak up some of the mixture. Melt some butter over a large skillet on medium heat. Add as many slices of bread onto the skillet as will fit at a time. Fry until lightly brown on both sides, flipping the bread when necessary.

Serve with fresh jam, maple syrup.  If looking to take your brunch to the next level and wow any houseguest, place a perfectly poached egg on top and bask in the breakfast bliss you have just masterfully created.

                          *Recipe adapted from Betty Crocker

 

This weekly food column is curated by Tracie Broom, who serves on the board at Slow Food Columbia(http://www.slowfoodcola.org), publishes The Yum Diary, and is a founding partner at Flock and Rally: Events + Communications for a Brave New South. Follow her at @theyumdiary on Twitter. 

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