Oatmeal Crusted French Toast with Honey-Glazed Peaches
Looking for a special breakfast? Delicious French toast is an easy and impressive way to start your day, especially when it’s topped with a fresh fruit compote. This recipe features an added crunchy bonus: a whole-grain crust on every slice. All you have to do is dip the works in rolled oats before you toast them in the pan. Whole-grain goodness in every bite.
INGREDIENTS
- For the peaches
- 2 tbsp (30ml) of butter
- 4 cup (1L) of fresh or frozen peaches, cut into bite-size chunks
- ¼ cup (60ml) honey
- 1 tbsp (15ml) of pure vanilla extract
- The zest and juice of 1 lemon
- For the French Toast
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup (250ml) of milk
- ¼ cup (60ml) of maple syrup
- 1 tbsp (15ml) of pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp (5ml) of nutmeg or cinnamon
- 8 slices of multigrain bread
- 1 cup (250ml) of oat, spelt, rye or kamut flakes
- 2 tbsp (30ml) of vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp (30ml) of butter
DIRECTIONS
- Begin with the peaches. Melt the butter in a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Add the peaches and cook just long enough to warm them through. Add the honey, vanilla and lemon zest and juice. Continue cooking and stirring until evenly glazed, just a minute or two longer. Remove from the heat and keep warm.
- For the French toast, crack the eggs into a large bowl and whisk in the milk, maple syrup, vanilla and nutmeg. Arrange the bread slices in a single layer in a large shallow dish. Pour the egg mixture over them. Let sit, turning once or twice, until most of the egg mixture is absorbed, 5 minutes or so. Meanwhile, heat your largest, heaviest nonstick pan over medium-low heat. Pour the whole-grain flakes into a shallow dish or plate.
Pour a small puddle of the oil into the hot pan and add a bit of the butter. Swirl until sizzling, adding the butter's flavour without burning it. One by one, dredge the slices of bread in the whole-grain flakes, turning to evenly coat each side and pressing gently to ensure the flakes adhere. Add as many bread slices to the pan as you can fit. Cook until the bottoms are golden brown and crisp. 3 or 4 minutes. Flip with a flourish and continue to cook until the second side is equally golden brown, a few minutes more. Repeat with the remaining oil, butter and bread slices. If you're expecting a crowd, you can hold the cooked ones in a 200F ( 215°F) oven while you finish cooking the rest. Serve with the warm peaches.