The French Toast Mistake That's Making Your Favorite Breakfast Food Dry

There are many approaches to preparing French toast — that classically sweet breakfast staple with unexpectedly ancient origins. The decadent dish can be made hassle-free by skipping the stove and cooking it in the air fryer instead. There are also many delicious twists that will upgrade your French toast. One misstep, however, can rob you of the sumptuous moistness you crave in French toast, leaving it disappointingly dry. To avoid this catastrophe, Food Republic spoke to Keiry Palma, chef-instructor of pastry and baking arts at the Institute of Culinary Education's New York City campus. She shared that not soaking the foundational bread long enough is a big mistake many home cooks make with French toast.

"The custard mixture, usually composed of eggs, milk, and flavorings, won't penetrate the center of a piece of bread that has not been soaked long enough," Palma explained. Without enough time submerged in the mixture, the interior of the bread will remain "untouched and uninfused," even after cooking. This results in French toast with a soft outer layer and a dry, bland core, a juxtaposition of textures that can make for a rather unpleasant bite. 

Unfortunately, there is no one right answer when it comes to the ideal drench time for your French toast preparation. Various considerations add up to how long the baked good should soak. "Factors such as the bread's density, crumb structure, size, and moisture content all play a role in determining the optimal soaking time," Palma advised.

The type of bread you're using, and its level of freshness, should be your guide when making French toast. Too much liquid for one kind of bread is not enough for another. "Delicate bread like brioche or challah, that have airy and more porous textures, will absorb the custard more rapidly than a hearty sourdough or a dense loaf of country bread," Keiry Palma instructed. "These lighter breads require a shorter soaking time, perhaps just a brief dip, to prevent them from becoming excessively soggy. Conversely, denser breads can withstand a more prolonged soak, anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes."

Absorption time should also be adjusted if you're dipping thicker slices or an entire loaf of bread all at once, which requires more soaking than individual thin pieces need. An older bread can also withstand a longer dip in the custard — as a bread becomes more stale, it can absorb more liquid than its fresh counterpart, thus needing a longer soak. 

For Palma, a few different characteristics ultimately form the sweet spot she prefers when preparing French toast. "Stale and thick slices of bread that are high in eggs and butter (think brioche, challah or milk bread) naturally lend themselves to a larger surface area that allows better absorption of the custard, resulting in a rich slice of French toast," she shared.

As you're endeavoring to let the custard mixture adequately penetrate the center of your French toast, keep in mind that oversoaking the bread is the contrasting pitfall to under-submerging it. "If you soak the bread too long, especially if it is a very soft bread, it will become too mushy and fall apart," Keiry Palma cautioned.

A squeeze test can help you gauge whether or not the bread has soaked long enough. If the slice is firm when slightly squeezed, the center still hasn't absorbed enough liquid. If, however, the bread is soft when you press it and your finger leaves an indentation, and squeezing it makes liquid drip out as though you're compressing a sponge, then your French toast is ready for cooking.

If you think you have oversoaked your bread — it's easy to do, despite an abundance of caution — a double cook, first in a frying pan and then in the oven, can help ensure the center is fully done and not too moist when you eat it. Be sure to fry your slices on medium-low until they are golden brown before placing them in the oven to cook thoroughly for a few minutes. And, of course, a collection of vibrant toppings like fresh fruit, whipped cream, and even a generous dollop of red bean paste can make the soggiest (or driest) slice of French toast worth your while.