I’m not really a breakfast person. Growing up in Cyprus, breakfast is typically a frappe and some figs in the summer. That’s why, whenever I have to make breakfast, I resort to my secret weapon, the French Toast.

French toast is delicious, easy to make, uses basic ingredients and looks relatively impressive. But how do we make French Toast? First thing you do is get yourself some egg yolks, sugar (preferably brown),  whole milk, melted unsalted butter and ideally a few ground spices like cinammon, nutmeg and vanilla extract. Most importantly, get a big loaf of bread and cut it up into really thick slices. Now grab a bowl and mix the above ingredients. The way I remember how much of each to use, is that for every three thick slices I need: three half cups of milk, about 350ml, three egg yolks, three tablespoons of melted butter, three tablespoons of (brown) sugar, three teaspoons of vanilla extract and three finger pinch of cinammon & nutmeg. All threes, get it? Genius.

So now we have all the ingredients to make custard inside a piece of bread. Ready to start cooking? Heat up a non-stick skillet and throw a few knobs of butter in it, the butter will begin to foam. While that’s happening, soak each side of the bread for 15 seconds in the milk-yolk mixture and after it has absorbed enough of the liquid without becomming soggy, throw the bread in the hot skillet. Do not move the bread. Seriously. Let it be. After 2-3 minutes, gently lift it and only if it looks a nice dark brown, flip it over. That’s it really. If you want to take it to the next level, here are some pro-tips:

• Use a good white bread that is a day or two old. If your bread is fresh, dry it out by putting it in a 250F oven for about 20 mins, flipping half-way through.
• When you are heating the butter in the non-stick skillet, wait for the butter to stop foaming before you put the bread in. If you like nutty flavors, wait a bit more for the butter to turn into a light brown.
• If you want it extra crispy, you can bread your toast in the same way you’d bread fish. Make breadcrumbs by taking one of the dried out slices and chopping into tiny pieces in a food processor, maybe with a pinch of sugar and/or spices. When you are cooking, right before you put the soaked bread in the skillet, dip one side in the breadcrumbs and put that side down in the skillet first. Watch it closely so it doesn’t burn.
• If you are making a lot of slices, work two-three at a time and keep the rest warm in a 250F oven.
• To finish, dust with powder sugar, throw some berries on top, drizzle with a good maple syrup, not necessarily in that order.