Orange Challah French Toast
My wife Jennika loves french toast! Whenever we go out to eat for brunch she is going to try out the french toast. Back before we had our two boys we would go out for brunch every weekend. One of our favorite places here in Portland is Cricket Cafe, it is just an iconic Portland brunch spot. It closed its doors last year, but thankfully the owners of Jam on Hawthorn (another amazing brunch option) came in and reopened it! Their menu includes a delicious challah bread french toast. Well two kiddos later and going out to eat is now a bit of a task! Instead I put together this recipe to replicate their french toast so we can still enjoy the memory of brunches from days past!
Orange challah french toast is wonderful as the sweetness of the challah bread goes well with the tartness of orange zest. Cut nice thick slices of the challah bread, about 1 1/2 inches thick, this will ensure a nice soft center to your french toast. Remember to cook on low-medium heat, with the thick slices of bread you want to be sure they get cooked all the way through. You can achieve this by slowly cooking them at lower heat for a longer time. If you are not serving them right away you can pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees and store them in the oven for up to 30 minutes.
Instructions:
Preheat cast iron skillet or griddle to a low-medium heat. Whisk your wet ingredients in a mixing bowl and then pour them into low profile flat bottomed pie pan or casserole dish (it will be easier to evenly soak your bread). Slice your challah bread into 1 1/2″ thick slices and lay them down in your batter. Flip the bread over to cover both sides. Take a bit of butter to grease the griddle. Use a fork to raise up the bread, allow excess batter to drip off. Place orange challah french toast on griddle and cook until lightly browned. Flip the french toast over and cook on the opposite side. Serve with fresh fruit, yogurt, whipped cream, and maple syrup.
Other Brunch Ideas
Orange Challah French Toast
Ingredients
- 1 loaf Challah Bread sliced into 1 1/2″ slices
- 1.5 cups half and half
- 2 oranges juice from 2 oranges
- 1 orange zest from 1 orange
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3 eggs
- 3/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp butter for griddle
Instructions
- Slice challah bread into 1 1/2″ thick slices.
- Heat griddle to low-medium heat.
- In medium mixing bowl whisk together all other (besides butter) ingredients.
- Pour into flat bottomed dish (casserole or cake pan)
- Butter griddle.
- Cook on griddle until lightly browned, flip and repeat.
- Serve with fresh fruit, yogurt, whipped cream, and maple syrup.