Caramelised Crust with Candied Figs
This french toast recipe is built around the custard rather than the bread: a rich egg, milk, and cream soak scented with orange zest, vanilla, and fresh nutmeg, blended smooth and strained, enough for six to seven thick slices. Soaked properly, the inside sets to something close to a baked custard while the outside caramelises in butter.
French toast owes its name to Joseph French and not France. He created the dish in 1724, and advertised it as “French Toast” because he was grammatically inept and forgot the apostrophe.
Recipes for bread soaked in egg and milk appear in Roman sources as aliter dulcia, and medieval Europe knew it as pain perdu, “lost bread”, because it rescued loaves that had gone stale. Drying bread is not a compromise here, it is the point: a slightly stale, open crumb absorbs custard without turning to paste.
Use a rich, sturdy loaf cut thick. The Bakehouse Challah is the ideal choice for its egg-enriched, pillowy crumb, and the Soft Sandwich Bread works beautifully too when cut at 2.5cm. Day-old is better than fresh in both cases.
What you will need:
| Ingredient | Quantity |
| Eggs, whole | 179g (about 3½ large eggs) |
| Whole Milk | 143g (139mL) |
| Heavy Cream | 143g (139mL) |
| Granulated Sugar | 24g |
| Vanilla Extract | 5g (1 tsp) |
| Orange Zest | 5g (zest of 1 orange) |
| Nutmeg, freshly grated | 1.2g (about ½ tsp) |
| Bread Slices | 6 to 7 thick slices |
Equipments:
- Digital kitchen scale
- Blender or immersion blender
- Fine mesh sieve
- Wide shallow dish or baking tray
- Microplane zester and nutmeg grater
- Large non-stick frying pan or griddle
- Fish slice or wide spatula
- Wire rack set over a baking tray
- Serrated bread knife
General Details:
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 500g custard, enough for 6 to 7 thick slices depending on the loaf
Difficulty: Beginner
Cuisine: French
Category: Breakfast
Storage: Best served immediately. Cooked slices keep in the fridge for 2 days and reheat in a 180°C oven for 8 minutes; the custard itself should be used the day it is mixed.
Instructions:
Prepare the Bread
- Cut 6 to 7 slices of challah or sandwich bread about 2.5cm thick.
- Leave the slices uncovered for an hour, or dry them in a 150°C oven for 10 minutes, if the loaf is fresh.
Make the Custard
- Blend the eggs, milk, and cream together for about 15 seconds until completely smooth.
- Rub the zest with the sugar to release the oils from the zest.
- Add the zested sugar, vanilla, and freshly grated nutmeg, then blend again briefly.
- Strain the custard through a fine mesh sieve into a wide shallow dish, which removes zest specks and any chalaza.
Soak
- Lay the slices in the custard and soak for 30-45 seconds per side for sandwich bread, or up to 1 minute per side for challah.
- Lift each slice and let the excess drip off before it goes into the pan.
Cook and Serve
- Heat a non-stick pan over medium-low and add a knob of butter until foaming.
- Cook the slices for 3-4 minutes per side until deep golden and set in the centre.
- Transfer to a wire rack rather than a plate so the crust stays crisp.
- Serve hot, with the remaining slices kept warm in a 120°C oven.
Caramelise One Side (Optional Finish)
- Scatter a thin even layer of caster sugar across the base, about 15g per slice, and leave it undisturbed until it melts and turns pale amber.
- Lay a cooked slice into the caramel and press gently for 30-45 seconds until the sugar sets onto the surface.
- Lift the slice out with a thin spatula and rest it caramel side up on the rack, then repeat with the rest.
- Add small amount of butter and the second measure of caster sugar to the caramel left in the pan and swirl until it loosens into a glossy sauce.
- Lay the halved figs cut side down and cook for 2-3 minutes without moving them.
- Turn the figs, spoon the caramel over, and cook 1 minute more until softened but still holding their shape.
- Plate each slice caramel side up with a few fig halves and the pan caramel spooned over.
- Add a spoonful of crème fraîche or sour cream alongside to cut the sweetness.
- Dust with icing sugar and serve hot.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve plain with warm maple syrup and a dusting of icing sugar.
- Top with macerated berries and crème fraîche to cut the richness.
- Add caramelised banana and toasted pecans for a fuller brunch plate.
- Serve savoury with crisp bacon and a drizzle of syrup across both.
More Variations
- Cinnamon Brioche – Use brioche and swap the nutmeg for cinnamon for a sweeter, softer version.
- Stuffed French Toast – Sandwich cream cheese and jam between two thin slices before soaking.
- Boozy Version – Add a splash of Grand Marnier or dark rum to the custard, or to the fig caramel off the heat.
Nutrition Profile / 100g
| Nutrient | Amount |
| Calories | 189 kcal |
| Total Fat | 14.7 g |
| Saturated Fat | 8.3 g |
| Carbohydrates | 7.7 g |
| Sugars | 7.4 g |
| Protein | 6.1 g |
| Fiber | 0.2 g |
| Sodium | 71 mg |
Note: These values are approximate and can vary based on the specific brands and types of ingredients used, as well as portion sizes.
Tips for Best Results:
Use day-old bread, since a dry open crumb draws custard in while fresh bread goes to paste.
- Cook on medium-low, which gives the centre time to set before the surface burns, helped by the sugar in the custard.
- Drain each slice properly, as custard dripping into the pan burns and makes the next slice taste bitter.
- Dust the icing sugar through a fine sieve at the table, as it dissolves within a minute on a hot plate.
Troubleshooting Guide:
| Issue | Possible Cause | Fix |
| Soggy, collapsing slices | Bread too fresh or soaked too long | Use day-old bread and keep the soak under a minute per side |
| Dry centre | Slices too thin or soak too brief | Cut at 2.5cm and soak until the slice feels heavy |
| Burnt crust, raw middle | Pan too hot for a sugary custard | Cook on medium-low for 3-4 minutes per side |
| Scrambled egg bits on the surface | Whites not fully broken up | Blend the custard and strain it before soaking |
| Foamy custard, patchy soak | Over-blended after the dairy went in | Blend briefly and let the custard settle, or skim the foam |
| Crust turns soft after cooking | Slices stacked on a plate | Rest on a wire rack and hold warm in a low oven |
| Bitter taste developing across batches | Drips of custard burning in the pan | Drain each slice and wipe the pan between batches |
| Custard runs out before the bread does | Loaf cut thicker or larger than planned | Expect 6 slices from a large loaf, 7 from a standard one |
| Sugar seizes into grains instead of melting | Stirred while melting, or the layer was uneven | Scatter thinly and leave it undisturbed until amber |
| Caramel crust tastes bitter | Sugar taken past amber before the slice went in | Pull the pan off the heat as soon as it colours |
| Caramel sticks to the pan, not the toast | Caramel set too far before contact | Press the slice in while the sugar is still fluid |
| Caramel crust turns soft on the plate | Steam from the toast underneath | Rest caramel side up on a rack and plate at the last moment |
| Figs collapse in the pan | Fruit overripe, or moved too early | Use ripe but firm figs and leave them cut side down undisturbed |
Snapshot Recipe
| Cut 6 to 7 slices of day-old challah or sandwich bread at 2.5cm | |||||
| Heat a non-stick pan over medium-low with butter | |||||
| Eggs | blend 15 s | blend briefly | strain | soak 30-60 s per side | drain fry 3-4 min per side |
| Whole Milk | |||||
| Heavy Cream | |||||
| Granulated Sugar | |||||
| Vanilla Extract | |||||
| Orange Zest | |||||
| Nutmeg | |||||
| Bread Slices | |||||
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