Overnight Matcha French Toast (Pain Perdu)

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: Asian American

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 15

Soaking the bread: 4

Total Time: 4 30

Servings: servings

Calories: 393kcal

Author: Marvellina

Turn stale bread slices into delicious thick French Toast infused with creamy custard and matcha flavor all over. This overnight French toast recipe is easy to put together and ready for you to cook for breakfast the next day.

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US Customary - Metric

Ingredients

6 1-inch thick slices of stale bread brioche, challah, shokupan, French bread, babka

Custard:

12 g ceremonial-grade matcha powder
1 Tbsp hot water
4 eggs omit for vegan version
4 Tbsp honey use agave nectar for vegan version
200 g whole milk non-dairy milk for vegan version
50 g heavy cream 36% fat. coconut cream for vegan version
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp salt

For cooking:

85 g Unsalted butter divided. Use vegan butter for vegan version

Instructions

Prepare the bread:

You need to use day-old bread to make a really good French toast. Enriched bread made the best French toast. You can use challah, brioche, shokupan, or even babka
Cut the bread into 1-inch thick slices. If you use freshly made bread, bake the slices of bread in the oven at 350 F (180 C) for 5 minutes to dry them out or if you plan ahead, leave the slices of bread out on the counter overnight for them to dry out

Prepare the custard:

For vegan version, use 4 Tbsp of ground flaxseeds meal + 180 grams (3/4 cup) of water to replace 4 eggs. Combine and let it sit for 10 minutes until thicken. The longer it sits, the thicker it gets, like a gel. Then proceed
Mix matcha powder with hot water to form a thick paste. If you add the matcha powder to the custard without mixing it with hot water, it won't get mixed properly
Whisk eggs (or flax eggs) and honey/agave nectar until combined and no more lumps from the egg whites. Add the matcha paste, milk, cream, vanilla, and salt and whisk again until the custard is smooth and no lumps

Soak the bread slices:

Arrange the bread slices on a 9 x 13 x 2 inches dish. Pour the custard mixture over the bread slices. Cover and let them refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours (no longer than that). Remember to flip the bread 2-3 times during this soaking time to make sure they are evenly soaked on both sides
By the end of soaking, you will see that almost all of the custard has gone and got soaked up by the bread slices.

Cooking:

Preheat oven to 200 F (93 C) to keep the French toast warm while you are cooking. Set a cooling rack on top of a baking sheet
Heat up a griddle or a large non-stick pan over medium heat. If you use an electric griddle, preheat to 350 F (180 C). Melt about 2 Tbsp of butter (about 30 grams) on the pan. Place two slices of the bread on the pan and fry over medium-low heat until the edges looks set and dry, but the center is still custardy, about 3 minutes. Control the heat
Flip the French toast over and cook the other side until the center springs back lightly when you press on it, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the pan and place on a cooling rack inside the oven. You can loosely tent the toast with aluminum foil if you want, though not necessary
Repeat cooking the second batch, melt another 2 Tbsp of butter and repeat the same process again. Keep them warm in the oven until you are ready to serve them. This way the outside crust is still crisp but the inside are custardy and soft

To serve:

Serve with maple syrup,fresh fruit, granola, whipped cream, or anything your heart desires :)

Nutrition