Challah French Toast With Orange Honey Syrup
Thick, pillowy slices of challah bread, soaked in a slightly sweet milk-based custard and cooked in a skillet until golden brown. Add a dollop of creme fraiche and a drizzle of orange honey syrup on top for a bit of extra decadence.
Ingredients
For The Orange Honey Syrup
- ½ cup Honey
- ¼ cup Orange juice
- 2 oranges zested and supremed
For The French Toast:
- 1 Loaf challah bread, about 8 to 10 thick slices
- 6 Eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1⅓ tsp Ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp Almond extract
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- 4 tsp Granulated sugar
- 1 cup Blueberries
- 4 tbsp Creme fraiche, optional
Instructions
- Supreme the oranges: Zest each orange and set zest aside. Slice the top and bottom off of an orange so you have a flat surface to work with and the flesh of the orange is exposed. Starting at the top, move your knife downward slicing between the flesh of the orange and the white pith. Do this around the entire orange until there isn’t any peel or pith attached.
- Hold the orange over a small bowl to catch any juices, slowly cut each segment out from the membrane and place on a small plate. Repeat with the second orange. Once each orange has been segmented, squeeze the membranes to release any juices into the bowl.
- Make the syrup: In a small saucepan set over medium low heat add ½ cup honey, and ¼ cup of orange juice from when you supremed the oranges. Heat, stirring occasionally just until the mixture is combined and pourable. Transfer to a small container.
- Slice the bread: Slice the loaf into 1 or 1 ½ inch thick slices. You should end up with 8 to 10 slices depending upon the size of your loaf.
- Make the custard: In a pie plate or wide shallow dish use a fork or whisk to combine the eggs, milk, ground cinnamon, almond extract, salt, sugar, and orange zest until well combined.
- Soak the bread: Place as many slices as will fit in a single layer in the dish with the custard. Flip them over so both sides are coated.
- Heat the skillet: Place 2 tablespoons of butter or ghee in a skillet set over medium heat. Once it sizzles add the soaked bread in a single layer. Cook on one side until golden brown, then flip and cook on the other side until golden brown.
- Serve: Place two slices of french toast on a plate. Top with 1 tablespoon of creme fraiche, berries and orange slices. Drizzle with the orange honey syrup and serve. (If you have another orange laying around and you’re feeling fancy, go ahead and zest a little over the top of the toast before serving.)