Gingerbread French Toast

Give French toast a holiday makeover! Transform plain white bread into spiced Gingerbread French Toast — cookie cutters are optional, but it makes breakfast even more magical!

If it were up to my daughter, we would listen to Christmas music all year round. She tries, as often as possible, to sneak in some fa la las in the heat of summer, when she somehow hijacks the music in the car.

I know some of you probably have very strict rules as to when to start listening to Christmas music, but in our house, we trend on the lax side, try as we might to wait as long as possible, or at least until Thanksgiving has passed.

Because that is The Threshold, my friends. Once the turkey has been carved, we are already planning for the next day, which is when we find our Christmas tree, lug it home, and start decking the halls. And for my daughter, she can officially play ALL the Christmas music her heart desires.

Once we cross that threshold, I too am so ready for all things Christmas! Somehow, breakfasts seem cozier and less rushed, and I just want to treat the kids to something that feels a little more special.

With each passing year, I’m realizing that they’re outgrowing so many little fun traditions, that I just want to create new ones to replace them. We may no longer take pictures with Santa, but we now have Gingerbread French Toast.

Gingerbread French Toast

You’re never too old for gingerbread boys and girls, or snowflakes, right? With the help of my trusty cookie cutters and a little extra spice, French toast is instantly a little more Christmas-y! Quickly dunked in a batter infused with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger, plain old bread is transformed with gingerbread flavors! 

As the slices cooked on the stove, the scent of gingerbread French toast lured my kids into the kitchen – and even managed to coax my daughter away from the new Christmas carol she was practicing on the piano. They were too excited to dig in, as was I!

All that was missing was some snow, but that’s what a sprinkling of powdered sugar is for!

More Brunch Recipes

Spanish Coffee Cake
Alaska Dungeness Crab Cake Benedict
Apple Oatmeal Blender Waffles
Maple Glazed Cranberry Bread
Mashed Potato and Stuffing Waffles

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Gingerbread French Toast

Give French toast a holiday makeover! Transform plain white bread into spiced Gingerbread French Toast -- cookie cutters are optional, but it makes breakfast even more magical!

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5 from 4 votes

Course Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 6 servings

Calories 144kcal

Author Liren Baker

Ingredients

• ▢ 6 slices thick-sliced white bread
• ▢ 1/2 cup buttermilk
• ▢ 2 large eggs
• ▢ 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon ginger
• ▢ 2 tablespoons butter divided

COOK MODEPrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• If using cookie cutters, cut out desired shapes in the bread. (Reserve scraps for another use, or cook as a special treat for the cook.) I was able to cut out 4 large snowflakes and 4 gingerbread boys/girls out of 6 slices of bread.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger.
• Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Coat the pan with about 1 tablespoon of butter. 
• When the butter is heated through, quickly dunk one of your bread pieces into the batter, gently shaking off excess (you do not want it to get too soaked if you are using white bread. If you are using a thicker bread, like challah, then you'll have more wiggle room), and add to the pan. Repeat for remaining pieces of bread, working in batches, leaving at least an inch of space between pieces. 
• When one side of the french toast is golden brown, flip and cook for another minute or so more until golden on the other side.
• As you work in batches, add more butter as necessary to the pan. If you are making 4 snowflakes and 4 gingerbread boys/girls like I did, you should be able to do this in two even batches.
• Transfer to a serving dish and serve immediately with powdered sugar or maple syrup.

Notes

Notes on bread:
Very thin, presliced white bread is often too delicate for French toast. If using presliced, find the thickest bread you can find and air it out (make-ahead notes below). Other good choices for bread to use is challah or French bread.

Make-ahead:
Making this on Christmas morning? You can make the bread cutouts the night before! Lay them out on a baking sheet -- airing out the bread overnight will actually make it better for soaking up the custard.

If you wish, you could combine the ingredients for the custard and chill in the refrigerator overnight.

Nutrition

Calories: 144kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 74mg | Sodium: 298mg | Potassium: 79mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 240IU | Calcium: 97mg | Iron: 1mg

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