English Toast

French toast meets the English muffin here, and the oven does all the flipping for you. Split muffins soak up a sweet, custardy egg batter, then bake cut-side-down in butter until that craggy face turns deep golden and crisp.

The English muffin is an inspired swap. All those nooks and crannies drink up the custard and crisp into countless little browned edges, far more texture than a flat slice of bread can offer.

Baking cut-side-down in a buttered pan is the clever move. The melted butter fries the cut face golden right in the oven, so you skip standing over a skillet flipping piece after piece.

The custard is classic French toast: eggs and half-and-half with sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. A quick soak on each side is all the muffins need to drink it in without going soggy.

Because the whole batch bakes at once, this is the breakfast for a full table, ready in the time it takes to set out the syrup.

Chef Tips

• Soak the cut side longer than the back so the craggy face is well saturated.
• Make sure the butter is hot and melted in the pan before the muffins go cut-side-down, so the face crisps.
• Do not over-soak; a brief dip keeps the muffins custardy inside, not mushy.
• Serve right away with maple syrup, powdered sugar, or jam while crisp.

Variations

• Add a pinch of nutmeg or orange zest to the custard for extra warmth.
• Use cinnamon-raisin English muffins for a sweeter, spiced version.
• Top with fresh berries and whipped cream for a brunch treat.