Make the Bread

Make the challah. Follow the recipes above. After braiding the dough, place it in a greased 9×5 loaf pan and bake at 350F for 30-35 minutes until golden and baked through.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes after baking. Then remove from the pan and allow to finish cooling. Once the bread has reached room temperature, cut it into thick slices and lay them out on a cooling rack to dry overnight.

If using storebought bread. If you are using storebought bread, simply set the slices out to dry overnight. Or, use stale bread.

Make the French Toast

Prep your tools. Position a drying rack over a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Preheat your oven to 180F and place a separate oven-safe drying rack over a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper in the oven. (So you will need two sets of drying racks set over lined baking sheets.)

Make the custard. Mix custard ingredients thoroughly in a medium bowl and pour into a 9×9 baking dish.

Add the bread. Soak dried bread slices in custard 2 slices at a time, for about 2 minutes per side. Set the soaked bread on the drying rack to sit. Sprinkle each slice with a pinch or two of cinnamon to taste.

Cook. After sitting for ~3 minutes begin cooking the soaked bread on a griddle greased with 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Don’t overcrowd the pan/griddle (I cook two slices at a time).

Cook bread slices on each side for ~ 2 minutes. Check for doneness judging by color. Each side should be golden brown. Make sure the slices cook through and evenly (rotate them around if your pan or griddle has hot spots). Add ~1/2 tbsp butter to the griddle after each batch of French toast has cooked and let it foam and subside before adding the next slices.

Keep warm in the oven. When both sides are cooked, place in the oven on the prepared drying rack to keep warm. 

Serve. We like to serve this with homemade whipped cream, maple syrup, and blueberries.