I don't make French Toast. I generally find it soggy, eggy, or both. I enjoy it occasionally if I go out for brunch, but it's usually hit-or-miss as to whether I like it. I think I've attempted to cook it twice in my lifetime, neither of which impressed me.
That said, here I am blogging about how I made French Toast Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches. There were two reasons I thought this might be worth trying. First, the egg-to-milk ratio was low - only 1 egg per ⅔ cup milk. Second, I had leftover Banana Sandwich Bread that needed using, and I know that drier (or stale) bread works best in French Toast.
The recipe concept is simple. Make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, dip in French toast batter, and cook 2 minutes per side over medium high heat until done. Yes, I actually measured the ingredients for the sandwich fillings, because I wanted to be sure to do the recipe justice - and I did use the strawberry jam, because that's what I had in the house. The egg-milk dip took a little baking powder and vanilla. I used the egg I had left from the wash I used for the Pan de Muerto I made last weekend, so the dip was less eggy than called for.
These sandwiches were warm and gooey - but not mushy. The dry bread helped soak up the liquid, and the fact that they were sandwiches kept the bread from being soggy or falling apart. The gooey filling complimented the French toasted bread. My cooking technique still needs work, because they browned a little too much. The mixture was not eggy at all. I'm not a fan of grape jelly, and I thought strawberry jam was a nice and juicy touch. These were delicious.
Alex also liked them, but didn't think they were very French toast-y. He wondered why we couldn't make it like a grilled cheese. My suspicion is that the sandwich wouldn't become melty and cohesive if grilled - the bread would definitely be drier. I have to agree with him that it didn't seem very French toast-like, but I do think that it was a nice variation on PBJ. This is a delicious way to make (economical) peanut butter and jelly sandwiches more exciting. It's definitely a recipe worth a try.
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