A fun twist on classic French toast. This bourbon and espresso French toast is a quick and easy breakfast treat. Made with a hint of espresso and bourbon this will become your new favorite go to for any special occasion.
You can never go wrong with French toast, and this is one of my favorites. Made with Texas toast this will be the breakfast or brunch that you will watch everyone wolf down. The espresso and bourbon add a nice hint of flavor that makes this dish a little extra special. One of my favorite times to make this is for the holidays when family is around or for Mother’s day and Valentine’s day. Surprise your friends and loved ones with this wonderful breakfast treat.
In this recipe
One of my favorite things about this recipe is that normally everything but Texas toast is normally already in your kitchen or pantry.
Texas toast: a thicker piece of bread that is perfect for French toast as it can absorb the batter and is sturdier, also perfect for stuffing afterwards if you like.
Bourbon: adds flavor to the batter, this can be substituted with rum or other types of whiskey.
Espresso powder: compliments the bourbon and spices in the batter.
Choosing the right bread
One of the reasons that I like Texas toast is that it is thicker than regular bread. It is sturdier than normal bread and makes for making great stuffed French toast. Another reason is that it can absorb a lot of batter however it will not get really soggy and cooks well. If you look in my ingredients photo I love using cinnamon swirl toast. Another fun trick when making French toast is to let the bread dry out just a little bit. I like to leave mine out a couple of hours before I plan on making them.
Flour in the batter?
Yup you read the recipe right! I use some flour in the batter. This help thicken the batter as well slows the absorption of the batter into the bread. One of the challenges I have had, especially when I was younger, was keeping the bread from absorbing too much batter and then the toast being too soggy after it is cooked. If there are lumps in the batter that is ok however if you want a smoother batter then let it rest for about 30 minutes before coating the bread.
Making French toast
If you are using a griddle then you can cook all of the toast all at once, however if you are using a skillet one of the things that you might run into is a hot pan scorching the butter and cooking the toast too quickly. One of the ways I combat that is to cook the toast on medium and then wiping the skillet out after every couple of slices. This helps keep everything from scorching as well as allowing the French toast to cook all the way through.
Looking for other brunch recipes?
Bourbon and Espresso French Toast
Equipment
- Skillet or griddle
- Mixing Bowl
- Whisk
- Spatula
Ingredients
- 8 slices Texas toast or other thick sliced bread
- 6 eggs
- 1 cup half and half or milk
- ½ cup flour
- ¼ cup sugar
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons bourbon
- 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
- ½ tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the griddle or skillet to medium.
- In a mixing bowl whisk the eggs and flour together. Then whisk in the cinnamon, nutmeg, bourbon, salt, sugar, espresso powder, vanilla, and milk.
- Melt 1 tablespoon of butter per 2 slices of bread on the griddle or skillet.
- While the butter is melting dunk the bread one slice at a time into the egg mixture making sure both sides are evenly coated. The bread does not have to completely soak through.
- Place the slices on the griddle or skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side.
- Top with maple syrup, fresh fruit, whipped cream or powdered sugar.
Nutrition
