Fool proof food

Recipe for Eggy Bread

Eggy bread, or French toast, is so good that you forget how economical it is. The French don’t call this French toast. They call it pain perdu or ‘lost bread’, because it is a way to use up leftover bread you would otherwise lose — the only bread you’ve got on the baker’s day off. French toast is actually better if the bread is a little old, or sliced and dried out overnight, so perhaps for using up stale bread after Christmas.

Serves 4

3 free range eggs

175ml (6 flozs) whole milk

Tiny pinch of salt

6 slices of white or light wholemeal bread

4 tbsp of clarified butter

Whisk the eggs, milk, and salt together until well-blended. Strain the mixture into a shallow bowl, in which you can easily soak the bread.

Dip both sides of each slice of bread in the batter.

Melt two tablespoons of the butter in a frying pan. Fry the bread over a medium heat until very lightly browned, turning once.

Serve warm, sprinkled with cinnamon or caster sugar, or, alternatively, serve with crispy, streaky rashers and a drizzle of maple syrup or honey.

Serve with bananas and butterscotch sauce.