The Classic Breakfast Food That Belongs In Fruit Salad

There are dozens of ways to make a fruit salad, and most of those variations involve using different types of fruits (and sometimes cheese, if you're in Colombia). Maybe you like using all red fruits, or perhaps you like to make yours depending on what fruits are in season. In this case, a summer fruit salad would look completely different from a fall one. But for something totally unique and unexpected, consider adding some French toast the next time you whip up a fruit salad.

The concept isn't totally out of the ordinary, after all, people often top their slices of French toast with macerated berries, bananas, or some sautéed apples with cinnamon. Instead, you're simply adding the toast to the fruit. The idea can be seen as a sweet spin on panzanella, which is an Italian dish that takes chunks of stale, leftover bread and combines them with fresh vegetables and a simple dressing to make a hearty salad.

For the former, all you need is some French toast, either made fresh or some leftover slices from a recent breakfast. Cut the toast in cubes and bake them in an oven or air fryer until they are slightly crisped. If you leave the French toast soft, it may disintegrate in the fruit. Separately, combine your preferred fruits in a bowl. Add the toast, mix, and you have a delicious dish that's perfect for breakfast, or even dessert.

French toast (which wasn't even invented in France), starts with bread, and so does French toast fruit salad. Using a sturdier bread like sourdough, ciabatta, or Italian bread (which Giada De Laurentiis uses in her sheet pan French toast) helps the bread chunks maintain their shape even when they are mixed with juicy fruit. For extra flavor, consider a cinnamon raisin or cranberry walnut loaf. If your bread is sturdy enough, you may not need to toast it in the oven at all. Softer breads like brioche, French bread, and croissants will benefit from some oven time. Like traditional panzanella salad, a breakfast version is elevated when tossed in a dressing, of sorts, which will soak into the bread, giving it a wonderful texture and sweet flavor.

Your "dressing" could be some maple syrup, or even an olive oil-based vinaigrette. Use a fruit vinegar, like raspberry, mango, or passion fruit, and sweeten it with honey. Once the dressing is whisked and emulsified, drizzle it over your bread and fruit and toss well. You can also make a creamier dressing using yogurt and fruit juice. Where savory panzanella might be garnished with fresh herbs, toasted pine nuts, and a sprinkling of cheese, French toast fruit salad would be great topped with citrus zest, crunchy granola, edible flowers, toasted nuts, whipped cream, and even a splash of liquor, like Grand Marnier or elderflower liqueur.