Strawberry Stuffed French Toast

I’m showing you this recipe right now so you have ample time to plan ahead. Make it this weekend as breakfast in bed for your Valentine. Or, if you aren’t into Valentine’s Day, just make it anyway for someone special. Or, hint around this week so your special someone makes it for you :) This recipe was a breakthrough in our household. You see, I’ve never been a fan of French toast. Though it does taste yummy, the texture has always been a deal breaker for me. Who wants a plate of eggy, soggy toast made soggier with syrup? Not I. But, Ben has always loved French toast so I try to keep an eye out for recipes.

While browsing around the recipes on Williams Sonoma’s website, I saw a few variations on stuffed French toast, and I was intrigued. That sounded like something I could get on board with. Yummy tasting toast plus delicious filling? The only issue remaining was how to remedy the super soggy texture. I referenced the basic French toast recipe in The New Best Recipe. Of course, ATK has a great strategy for preventing too much of the egg mixture. Adding flour to the mix helps the right amount of egg mixture to soak in – just enough that the bread is tender with good flavor, and a nice crisp exterior. This was a huge hit with our family. Me, the former French toast hater, Andrew, who had never tried French toast before, and Ben who loved it so much he talked about it for days (weeks?) afterward. I’m really excited now because this has opened up a new breakfast realm for me. I have so many ideas for filling and flavor variations that the only problem now is deciding which to try next.

Yield 4 servings

Ingredients

For the filling:
1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
2 tbsp. sugar
4 oz. cream cheese, softened

For the toast:
4 thick slices bread, such as challah or soft Italian bread
1 large egg
¾ cup milk
2 tbsp. melted butter
1 tsp. vanilla
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. salt
Unsalted butter

Maple syrup, powdered sugar and additional fresh strawberries for serving

Directions

01
To make the filling, combine the sliced strawberries and sugar in a medium bowl. Mix well and set aside to macerate for about 15 minutes. Stir in the cream cheese until well blended.
02
To prepare the toast, carefully slice a pocket into the center of each slice of bread, taking care not to cut all the way through to the other side. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. In a shallow baking dish or pie plate, whisk together the egg and milk. Whisk in the melted butter and vanilla. Stir in the flour, cinnamon and salt and whisk until smooth. Fill the pocket of each slice of bread with some of the filling mixture. One or two at a time, place the filled slices of bread in the egg mixture, soaking about 30-40 seconds per side. Remove the bread and allow the excess batter to drip off. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining bread slices.
03
Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the heated skillet and swirl to coat. Add the filled slices of toast to the skillet in a single layer. Cook until light golden brown and crisp, about 1-2 minutes per side. Repeat with the remaining slices of bread, adding more butter to the skillet as needed. Serve immediately with maple syrup, powdered sugar and fresh strawberries as desired.

Source

heavily adapted from Williams Sonoma and The New Best Recipe