Have you caught on how much I love breakfast? French toast was one of the first things I ever made vegan, and looking back, it doesn't even seem accurate distinguishing this as "vegan" because it's just french toast, minus an egg. Ridiculously easy, and a tad healthier... leaving room for extra powdered sugar.
Now, my family has been making batches of syrup from scratch during brunch my entire life. I'm pretty sure because most of the time we couldn't afford buying bottles of syrup, at least not at the rate my five brothers would find necessary to pour into their mouths for any given reason on a Tuesday afternoon. And eventually, I realized I never had the taste for pre-bought syrup anyway. But, there was one exception: Knott's boysenberry syrup. The slender bottles of purple gold my mother and I would tuck safely behind the condiments hidden from greedy sugar-raving children. Perfect for crepes, french toast, ice cream, nachos... (okay, really I actually tried that once so judge away). And then, one day not to long ago I realized I couldn't find any of my prized boysenberry syrup at the grocery store anymore. Apparently they decided to break my heart and sell the recipe to Smuckers. Well, I don't trust Smuckers. So what's a Hoff to do?
Make it my damn self. All of it.
And it is damn good. So, let's brew some coffee and go for it, already.
I like to start with the syrup. Use 2-3 cups of whichever berries you prefer. I went with blueberries today, since I always have frozen blueberries on hand. Raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, boysenberries...all of them equally delicious. Technically, you can use fresh or frozen, but since the berries will be cooked down and fresh are usually considerably more expensive, there really is no reason not to use frozen. In fact, take my advice and stock up on frozen berries each shopping trip. Berry season isn't an all-year privilege.
First, lightly pulse the berries in a food processor (if you are using strawberries, chop them up a little bit first). You just want them a tad blended to boil down. Add 1/8 cup water and bring to boil, then simmer at medium low for 1-2 minutes with a lid.
Strain the berry mixture through a metal strainer, using the spoon to ensure all the juicy goodness gets through.
Pour the berry liquid back into the pot and combine 1/2 cup sugar. Cook on medium-high about 1-2 minutes until the sugar is dissolved. Bam! Perfect, easy, quick homemade berry syrup. Keep it to the side while you do the french toast, and warm it just before everything is ready.
This is all you need for the batter (minus the coconut oil for frying). See? Not too different than what you are used to.
Except for this. This egg replacer is a very useful item to have in your pantry, though it isn't totally necessary here. One banana will do for one batch, but I like adding a tablespoon of egg replacer to make the batter more creamer-like. All it is is a combination of flours and starches, so don't be afraid.
Now, there are a ton of egg substitutes one can use- flax seed, applesauce, tapioca starch, flour etc.- but I've found bananas go best in french toast. And why not add a little more healthy fruit to the meal. Isn't that the point of omitting the egg after all?
Slice a loaf of bread into 1-2 inch slices, or however thick you like it. I used a putliese loaf, which is comparable to ciabatta. The extra crunch of the crust beside the moist french toast just makes me a happy fat kid. But, of course day-old sourdough or french loaf will do. This batter should be able to soak 8 thick slices.
To create your eggless batter, start by mashing the banana into baby-food mush. That made it sound really tasty, right? Well, I happen to like banana baby food, so deal with it.
Then pour in the almond milk, and mix in the egg replacer if you're using it, nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Now, if you use vanilla almond milk, you probably don't need the extract as well, unless you're one of those people that chew on vanilla bean all the time. Exactly, there aren't those people.
Soak your slices for a bit on each side until the batter soaks up the bread all the way through.
Heat up your griddle to 350 degrees (or medium high if you are on the stove top) and brush coconut oil onto it.
Cook up five or seven or ten minutes or so on each side until golden brown.
Is it just me or does french toast take FOREVER to cook??
Oh, but it is sooooo worth it. Top it off with warm berry syrup, powdered sugar, and fresh berries. Perfection is served.
French Toast and Berry Syrup
Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 20-30 minutes
Total time: about 30-40 minutes
Makes 8 thick-cut slices
Berry Syrup:
2-3 cups frozen berries
1/8 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
French Toast:
loaf ciabatta bread
1 cup almond milk
1 ripe banana
1 tbsp egg replacer (optional)
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla extract
coconut oil (for frying)
For syrup:
Lightly blend berries in food processor. Combine with water in a pot and bring to boil. Simmer on medium-low 1-2 minutes, covered.
Strain berries in metal strainer. Combine liquid and sugar back into pot and cook on medium-high until sugar is dissolved for another 1-2 minutes.
Serve warm.
For toast:
Slice bread into thick slices.
Mash banana into large bowl. Add egg replacer, milk, vanilla and spices and mix well.
Brush coconut oil on heated griddle (350 degrees or medium-high). Soak each slice of bread in batter and fry on griddle 5-10 minutes on each side or until golden brown and cooked all the way through.
Top with warmed syrup and other toppings.
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