Breakfast & Brunch/ Recipes

T is for: Toasty French BLTs

OK, so this blog title is a stretch. Especially when the name of the recipe is something more along the lines of “French Toast BLT’s” or “BLT French Toast.” Oh well. I decided I couldn’t wait until “B” or “F” week rolled back around. So forget about semantics and just focus on the sheer genius of this creation.

It’s bacon. And french toast. What more do you need in a breakfast food? I had a few girls over for an impromptu brunch on Sunday and decided to make two types of French Toast. I made a sweet and a savory. The sweet was more of a traditional recipe with the addition of some Grand Marnier. (Why not, right?)

The savory was this amazing combination. It was inspired by none other than Martha Stewart of all people. But I tweaked the recipe a bit and cut the bread in half to make them more petite and irresistible.

First, you need to start with some high-quality bread. I splurged and bought this La Boulange brioche bread at Whole Foods. So worth it. It works better if it’s a little dried out, so the night before you plan to make the French toast, leave it out on your counter. Since I was doing smaller sandwiches, I cut each piece in half before frying it. I think it would be cute to cut them a second time for even more “finger-sized” sandwiches. Another option could be baguette slices, which I originally bought…but the brioche was just far too tempting to pass up.
Whisk together eggs, milk (or cream if you prefer), along with some snipped chives, Parmesan and salt/pepper. I also added a little flour because I read somewhere it helps the bread puff up and is better for achieving that crispy-on-the-outside-custardy-on-the-inside effect. Place bread in a single layer in a baking dish and pour egg mixture over the top. Soak bread for at least 20-30 minutes, turning once.
Melt butter in a large skillet or griddle and fry until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes per side. Keep cooked slices in a warm oven while you fry the rest. Top with a tomato slice, lettuce, and half a piece of cooked applewood bacon. You could add mayo as well, but I didn’t think they needed it.
You could also serve these open-faced, especially if you decide to use the baguette slices. Either way, they will be gone in about two minutes flat.
French Toast BLTs

by Jaymee Sire
Inspired by Everyday Food, May 2010
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Keywords: fry breakfast sandwich bacon tomato lettuce french toast

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Ingredients (4 sandwiches)
  • 4 slices brioche bread (or 8 baguette slices)
  • 2 large slices Applewood smoked bacon, cut in half
  • 4 eggs
  • 3/4 cup milk (or you can use cream or 1/2 and 1/2)
  • 1/4 cup snipped fresh chives
  • 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • fresh ground salt & pepper
  • 2-3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 4 Roma tomato slices
  • 4 lettuce leaves
Instructions

  1. The night before you plan to make the BLTs, set the sliced bread out on the counter to dry out slightly.
  2. In the morning, preheat oven to 375. Place bacon on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil. Cook until golden and crisp, about 15-20 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Reduce oven temperature to 200 degrees.
  3. While bacon cooks, whisk together eggs, cream, chives, Parmesan, and flour. Season with salt and pepper. Lay bread in a single layer in a large shallow dish and coat with egg mixture. Soak 20-30 minutes, turning once.
  4. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium. When butter sizzles, add bread and cook until golden and crisp around edges, about 3-5 minutes per side, flipping once. Transfer cooked pieces of bread to an oven safe plate in a warm oven until ready to serve.
  5. To serve, layer tomato, lettuce, and bacon on a slice of French toast, and top with another slice or serve open-faced.
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  • Sara
    February 13, 2012 at 7:09 pm

    What a great idea! I never thought of making a savory french toast and then turning it into a sandwich…sounds super delicious! 🙂

  • Sarah from 20somethingcupcakes
    February 13, 2012 at 8:25 pm

    Brilliant! I love that you served them both. I love to do something "2 ways" or "3 ways", etc.

  • Simply Tia
    February 14, 2012 at 12:32 am

    These look fantastic and delicious!!

  • rtp
    February 14, 2012 at 3:26 am

    My god Jaymee! You've had some good posts in the past but….. WOW! My stomach and mind are both screaming marry her after this post!

    I suppose you have a Valentine to exchange <3 shaped foods with already?

  • Lannie
    February 14, 2012 at 5:12 am

    i really thought i heard and/or seen more things… pizza flavored chinese buns…. korean tacos…..

    but you just blew my mind. why don't people do this regularly, it sounds DELICIOUS.

  • Brady Andrew Weedin
    February 14, 2012 at 5:55 am

    Yummy!!!!! Love it!

  • Wheres k&b
    February 14, 2012 at 9:00 am

    Mouth watering !

    ratedkb.blogspot.com

  • Kevin
    February 15, 2012 at 11:25 am

    These savoury french toast BLTs are sounding really good!

  • Lauren
    February 26, 2012 at 3:27 am

    These sound delicious. I bet they would also be amazing with regular French toast! Sweet + savory!

  • RecipeGirl
    March 15, 2012 at 1:37 pm

    I love this fun idea! Followed a link featured on Foodiecrush!

  • classic • casual • home
    August 26, 2012 at 4:37 pm

    OMG..so decadent and delish!

  • LC
    December 19, 2012 at 8:36 am

    I love French toast! Delicious!!

  • cody
    September 10, 2013 at 9:51 am

    french toast recipe is my favorite. I learn french cooking at Gourmandia and I have a collection of their recipes.

  • evanoff
    September 11, 2013 at 11:53 pm

    Made this for my son today and he said it was "so awesome!" Thank you