Published January 1, 2009. From Cook's Illustrated.
To come up with a French toast recipe that would be crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, with rich custardlike flavor, we dried hearty white sandwich bread in the oven before dunking it in a yolks-only soaking liquid enriched with melted butter. Drying out the bread gave our French toast recipe the pillowy interior we were looking for; eliminating egg whites (which contain sulfur compounds that make eggs taste eggy) gave it richness without a scrambled egg flavor; and adding melted butter gave the French toast recipe a delicious, nutty flavor.
For best results, choose a good challah or a firm, high-quality sandwich bread, such as Arnold Country Classics White or Pepperidge Farm Farmhouse Hearty White. Thomas’ English Muffin Toasting Bread also works well. If you purchase an unsliced loaf, cut the bread into 1/2-inch-thick slices. To prevent the butter from clumping during mixing, warm the milk in a microwave or small saucepan until warm to the touch (about 80 degrees). The French toast can be cooked all at once on an electric griddle, but may take an extra 2 to 3 minutes per side. Set the griddle temperature to 350 degrees and use the entire amount of butter for cooking.
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