Kitchen Tips How To 3 Secrets To Restaurant-Quality French Toast By Vanessa Greaves Vanessa Greaves Vanessa Greaves is a Senior Editor at Allrecipes with nearly two decades of experience helping home cooks gain confidence in the kitchen. A self-taught cook who grew up reading cookbooks for fun, Vanessa lives and breathes the challenges faced by busy everyday cooks to get dinner on the table. Allrecipes' editorial guidelines Published on August 26, 2015 Close Crispy golden brown on the outside. Moist and tender on the inside. If this is your idea of French toast perfection, our own Chef John shares three insider tips to ensure your next batch will be your best yet. Photo by sweet_mamalove. 1) Soak It. Chef John whips up a simple egg and milk custard flavored with cinnamon and vanilla, then lets thick slices of day-old bread soak in it until each slice is thoroughly saturated. 2) Fry It. Three minutes per side in hot butter seals the custardy coating onto the bread and gives it that eye-popping golden brown crust. 3) Bake It. This is the step you didn't see coming. Chef John lays the French toast on a baking sheet, and bakes it in a 400° F oven for 12 to 15 minutes. The heat causes the custard-soaked toast to puff up beautifully while it finishes cooking on the inside. Bonus: Everyone gets to enjoy hot French toast at the same time. If you've ever spent a morning jumping up from the table to tend to the toast, you know how game-changing this is. Chef John's French Toast Watch and learn: Rave Reviews Who knew I was making French Toast wrong all of these years? Delicious, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. Even my kids who are only 5, 6, and 7 commented that these were way better than the other way I make them. Says a lot when kids notice the difference. — jharris This recipe is fantastic! Loved having it in the oven but not needing to take all the time baked French toast normally takes. Looked so pretty and tasted fantastic! — SAXYBONE Wow! I've been making French toast for years and thought I was doing it right. "If it ain't broke don't fix it." I never knew about a "classic restaurant method". I just did it the way my Mom and Grandma taught me. I had to give this a try and I was pleasantly surprised. This came out crisp, light, fluffy, and just plain delicious. Thanks for a great recipe, Chef John, and an update on a truly classic breakfast favorite! — Jillian You can take just about any pan-fried French toast recipe and use this 3-step method to ensure great results every time. French Toast I (pictured at top) Easy Pina Colada French Toast Pumpkin French Toast Gil's Brioche French Toast Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit