Old Bay French Toast

Now listen…you guys trust me, right? We’ve put Old Bay in more than our fair share of sweet dishes in the past. And I haven’t steered you wrong so far, have I? So, trust that this is just classic french toast with a little Maryland style twist.

So, let’s get to it!

Let’s talk bread. When it comes to french toast, there are 2 superior bread choices in my opinion…challah bread and brioche bread. We’re going to use the latter for this recipe. What I like about both of these breads is that they’re thick and hearty and can really take on the custard we soak it in without falling apart. I like for the bread to be cut at least a half inch thick, but if you’re buying an uncut loaf, you could always stretch that a little bit and go thicker.

For our custard, we’re keeping things very classic: eggs, milk, sugar, and cinnamon. But, the secret ingredient here is the Old Bay. To me, Old Bay does to cinnamon what salt does to chocolate. It enhances the flavor in a way that’s not aggressive but adds a little something special that would feel missing without it. We’re not dumping tons of seafood seasoning into this custard and making it taste like the bay. Instead, we’re adding just a kiss which adds a slightly savory note but almost makes the cinnamon taste more cinnamony.

After the custard is all mixed together, in goes our brioche to soak up all that creamy goodness. Then, to a buttered griddle it goes to toast up. Now, when it’s time to serve, I like to go one of two ways with this. You could go classic with a little butter and syrup on top. Or, you could go decadent with some whipped cream and caramel on top. You get bonus points if you make my Old Bay caramel!

I love recipes that use secret ingredients that make your loved ones say “hmm…” And, this is definitely that kind of recipe. This is the standard french toast that we all know and love, so to speak. It’s sweet and fluffy and eggy and delicious. But, it also has that slightly surprising savory undertone. It’s sooooo good!

It’s become my mission to incorporate Old Bay into anything that I possibly can, and I think I’m really winning with this one!

I hope you all enjoy, and let’s eat!