The Sweet Bread Swap For Your Next Monte Cristo Sandwich

If a grilled ham and cheese bumped into French toast, then together they went tumbling into a pile of powdered sugar, what you'd end up with is a sweet and savory Monte Cristo sandwich recipe. This delicious, decadent treat (which is like a cross between a meal and dessert) starts off with two or three slices of bread; the optional third slice gets placed in the middle like in a club sandwich. The bread is slathered with mustard and mayo as well as sweet jam, then it's stuffed with slices of ham, and sometimes turkey. Swiss or gruyère cheese is used as well, which, once heated, turns the sandwich into a melty, gooey, and messy delight.

The real magic of a Monte Cristo, however, comes from it being coated in an eggy French toast batter before being fried in butter. After that, it gets amply sprinkled with powdered sugar, and then served with more jam or maple syrup for dipping. While it's hard to argue that it's not already perfect as is, there's one way to bump up the sweetness and make it even more delicious — make it on French toast to begin with.

Not only does this still get you the warm and sweet flavors of the eggs and nutmeg of French toast on the outside of the sandwich, but all sides of the bread will be coated with dreamy, creamy layers of it ... especially if you include that central third slice.

Named after the French count in the Alexandre Dumas novel, the Monte Cristo sandwich evolved from the croque monsieur. That sandwich is similarly filled with ham and cheese, along with a Mornay béchamel sauce made with gruyère and parmesan. Interestingly, the Monte Cristo is more associated with Southern California's most iconic theme park than it is with France. It's been on the menus at Disneyland restaurants since at least the 1960s when it gained in popularity at the park's Cafe Orleans and Blue Bayou restaurants — you can still get it at both locations today. Cafe Orleans even offers a vegetarian version amped up with mozzarella, Swiss, and Brie cheeses.

Bennigan's restaurant gets credited for adding the extra slice of bread and turning the Monte Cristo into a layered affair. Its version is made with thick honey wheat bread dipped in French toast batter that fries up nice and crispy. When swapping out regular bread and making the sandwich from scratch on slices of French toast, the bread you use and how you prep it can make all the difference. 

While you're free to use any kind you like, Ina Garten's favorite bread for French toast is a traditional Jewish challah — although a good, buttery brioche will work just as well. For best results with your Monte Cristo, French toast is better with oven-roasted bread — toasting prevents it from getting too mushy, so it can achieve that perfect crunch.