How do you make a delicious french toast? Is this different to eggy bread? How do you make that?

No one knows the true origins of French toast. It has been around for that long!

Bread has been a stable addition to the diet for many many centuries for most cultures. French toast traditionally use stale bread to make this delicious breakfast or lunch. People needed to make use of all the food they had (Tesco or Asda were not an option back then!!!) so making stale bread edible was definitely an advantage.

French toast has various names depending on where you live in the world:

• French toast to much of Europe
• Eggy bread is used a lot in the old English empire. (The English have always had a dodgy relationship with the French and thus didn't like using that name or so I guess!)
• Gypsy bread

Other names have died out like German bread etc. as the British and French empires grew.

No matter what it's name however, many cultures have a version of this eggy fried bread.

I bet I am going to make myself sound stupid now but I had a trip to America in my youth. Once there I met some good friends and went out to breakfast. I was astounded by the portions of pancakes I got. I have to say, I can eat and yet that portion was far too much for me. Anyway, one of my friends had ordered french toast, which sounded interesting to me and yet I didn't know what it was. They arrive at the table and I look and say, "oh they are eggy bread." This was met with laughter and a few saying us English were so cute with the different words we use.

The conversation then went onto the things we both say that are different - footpath and sidewalk etc. etc. So although I was initially embarrassed it did go ok as they thought I was cute for saying that!

But it did get me thinking, are eggy bread and french toast the same? French toast sounds a lot more refined to me but they looked the same. They did taste a little different though with the distinctive cinnamon taste from french toast.

Then I thought, is one an English version and one a, well French version?

In my experience there is a suttle difference in French toast and Eggy bread. The main ingredients are the same and it is made pretty much in exactly the same way however, French toast tends to be sweeter in taste, probably because you add sugar and spices to the recipe. Eggy bread tends to retain more of an eggy taste to it.

So in my experience, eggy bread is great to occumpany a full english - sweet taste would get lost here! French bread is great by itself with a little fruit or something - this would only enhance the sweet taste of the bread.

Being a traditional recipe, if you want to make sure it remains authentistic then it is best to use leftover bread which is a little stale. The reason for this is that stale bread actually absorbs more of the custard mixture you are going to make than fresh bread does.

However, if this is not possible and you have fresh bread as most of us do in our house now when we decide to make things like this, then just toast the bread for around 30 seconds so the outside is a little hard but still retains the white colour of the bread. It will have the same effect.

Per slice of French Toast:

• 1 large egg
• 2 table spoons of milk
• 2 table spoons of cream
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• 2 cap fulls of vanilla essence
• Sprinkle in cinnamon for taste.
• Sprinkle in nutmeg for taste.

Note: if you want to change the flavour of your French toast you can change the cinnamon for things like orange zest or other flavours you would prefer.

1. Break the eggs into a shallow dish with a flat bottom.
2. Whisk thorougly after adding the sugar, cream, milk, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla essence.
3. Toast your bread for 30 seconds so the outside is a little cooked but still white in colour.
4. Pre-heat the frying pan while toasting the bread adding a little oil to make sure the bread doesn't stick to the bottom or burn - olive oil or butter is good for this.
5. Soak a couple of slices of bread (or as many as your frying pan can have at once) in the shallow dish.
6. The bread should be allowed to soak for around 10 seconds - any longer and the bread becomes saturated and therefore easier to burn because you need to fry it for longer.
7. Then flip over and repeat for the other side of the bread.
8. Carefully remove the bread and let access liquid drain back into the dish.
9. Then place it in your frying pan and cook.
10. Flip when the bottom is golden brown and cook the other side until that is golden brown too.
11. Remove once cooked and plate up.
12. Sprinkle a little icing sugar over the top for decoration and adding to the sweet taste.
13. Cut into traingles and serve.

Per slice of Eggy bread:

• 1 large egg
• A pinch of salt and pepper

(As you can see eggy bread is much simplier version of French toast.)

Note: If you believe you are having too much salt in your diet then I have made it without and it tastes just as good.

• Break the eggs into a shallow dish with a flat bottom.
• Whisk thoroughly after adding the salt and pepper
• Toast your bread for 30 seconds so the outside is a little cooked but still white in colour.
• Pre-heat the frying pan while toasting the bread adding a little oil to make sure the bread doesn't stick to the bottom or burn - olive oil or butter is good for this.
• Soak a couple of slices of bread (or as many as your frying pan can have at once) in the shallow dish.
• The bread should be allowed to soak for around 10 seconds - any longer and the bread becomes saturated and therefore easier to burn because you need to fry it for longer.
• Then flip over and repeat for the other side of the bread.
• Carefully remove the bread and let access liquid drain back into the dish.
• Then place it in your frying pan and cook.
• Flip when the bottom is golden brown and cook the other side until that is golden brown too.
• Remove once cooked and plate up.
• Cut into traingles and serve.

No matter which recipe you choose to experiment with there is no doubt that you will be making something that is delicious.

Why not try adding banana and golden syrup on top of your french toast?

Banana, chocolate drops and caramel sauce is another lovely combination.

Why not adding raspberries and strawberries with a dollop of cream to them?

And of course you can't beat eggy bread on a full English breakfast.

Eggy bread used for a sausage sandwich is a great idea or even a bacon sandwich. Why not a combination of all three in a maga belly buster - eggy bread, sausage, another slice of eggy bread, bacon and then a third slice of eggy bread - MMMMMMMMMMMMMM.