French Toast is another family favorite for breakfast. There are many recipes out there for French Toast but this has been my favorite so far. It is a basic recipe with vanilla extract and cinnamon added to the milk and egg mixture, giving it a soft, sweet vanilla flavor. The Lemon Berry Crunch is a delightful mixture of berries, sugar and lemon. Ahhh, sweetness!
Do you like your French Toast sweet or savory? I’ve got a chronic sweet tooth, so I’m the one who wants to add the Lemon Berry Crunch. My love, on the other hand, steals a slice french toast before anything sweet goes on it. He then covers it in cheese and ketchup. The kids just pour maple syrup on theirs. That’s the beauty of French Toast – there are so many variables in toppings – and it’s easy to change the taste to suit all the people in your house. On those rare occasions when we have a family breakfast – I make the French Toast and then put the different toppings on the table for self serving.
I love the combination of lemon juice and berries in this topping – it’s such a bright, happy, taste for early in the morning. The crunch part comes from lemon zest ground in with raw sugar. When you crush the zest with the sugar, it releases some of the lemon oil, helping it get that refreshing light lemon taste. The sugar is then sprinkled on top of the lemon berries.
I used an old fashioned white bread to make my French Toast, but you could change the flavor by using different types of bread. How about a Cinnamon Chip bread or some Cinnamon Raisin Bread? My love uses gluten free bread, or you could try a whole grain bread for a healthier option.
If you think you will eat all 3 slices of bread yourself, you might like to half the Lemon Berry Crunch. Despite what you see in the picture (because my eyes were bigger than my belly and I thought I could eat 3 slices) this is really a recipe for 2-3 people.
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 ½ teaspoons sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 slices bread
- 3 teaspoons butter
- maple syrup, optional
- 1 1/2 cups mixed berries
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 3 teaspoons raw sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- Beat the egg in a medium bowl, then add the milk, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. Mix well.
- Pour the mixture into a shallow dish, big enough to hold the bread.
- Dip each slice of bread into the egg mixture, and allow the bread to soak up some of the egg mixture. Turn the bread over and allow it to soak up more mixture.
- Melt 1 teaspoon of the butter in a frying pan over medium-high heat.
- Once the frying pan is hot and the butter is melted, place a slice of bread in the frying pan. Fry the bread for 1-2 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown.
- Use a spatula to turn the over and fry the second side for another 1-2 minutes.
- Repeat until all the bread is fried.
- To serve, top with maple syrup and Lemon Berry Crunch.
- In a small bowl, combine the berries, lemon juice and sugar. Allow the berries to sit in the juice for about 5-10 minutes, stirring once or twice.
- Using a mortar and pestle (or the end of a rolling pin) lightly grind the raw sugar and lemon zest.
- Serve the berries on top of the French Toast, then sprinkle the raw sugar on top of the berries.
