Saturday morning breakfast is one of my favorite times of the week. You know this.

So when I found myself with a bunch of extra buttermilk, I knew I needed to find a way to use it up. What better way than to make some delicious, indulgent, and simple French toast. Bien sûr!

You cannot make good French toast without good bread. My favorite bread to use is a French baguette because it’s chewy and is very slow to absorb the batter, which means that it never gets soggy. The only trick is that you have to soak the bread for a while for the milk and egg mixture to really work its way into each piece, and often still the batter doesn’t fully soak the bread. I like it that way though, because on the outside of this French toast, you have a slightly sweet and eggy taste, but on the inside is the fluffy, slightly chewy baguette. It’s a good texture combination I find!

Also, be sure to pour your batter into a container that is wide and flat-bottomed. This will ensure that the milk and egg mixture soaks into the center, but the crust remains fairly dry. I use a pie dish because it’s just the right size for two people!

Like I mentioned above, you want the bread to sit in the mixture for several minutes. A French baguette absorbs the batter very stubbornly, so give it time!

Buttermilk French Toast

1 large French baguette, cut into 1 inch slices
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 heaping teaspoon honey
1 heaping teaspoon brown sugar
pinch of salt
pinch of cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter

Combine eggs and vanilla and whisk together very well. Add in buttermilk, cinnamon, salt, honey, and brown sugar, and whisk until combined and smooth. Pour batter into a very large flat container. Place pieces of French baguette into the batter and let soak for 20 minutes, flipping halfway.

Warm a skillet on medium high heat, and let butter melt and coat the bottom of the skillet. When baguette slices are thoroughly soaked, place them in the skillet. Skillet should be hot enough to sizzle when baguette slices are added. Let cook for 4-5 minutes on each side, or until cooked through and browned.

Transfer to plates, top with berry, honey, or a compote, and top with a dusting of powdered sugar.