Ditch The Milk And Take Your French Toast Breakfast To The Next Level With This Frozen Treat

Fluffiness, starchiness, and sweetness: the rare trifecta that makes French toast so deliciously irresistible. Despite its name, French toast wasn't invented in France, but rather dates back in some form to Ancient Rome. Even the Romans couldn't say no to the allure of bread dipped in milk, and then fried and covered with honey. As gastronomy continues to evolve, we've found even more ways to elevate this treat; from coating French toast in cereal (yes, we're serious) to skipping the milk in favor of ice cream.

We spoke to Erin Lim, culinary content creator from @‌erinscozykitchen about this idea, which she enthusiastically supports. Swapping out milk for ice cream, according to Lim, "Basically cuts down on the steps you would normally do (adding sugar, milk, and cream)! This works because [ice cream] already has the key components you need for French toast custard." The swap makes the recipe quicker and easier — something we can always get behind, as long as flavor isn't compromised. Luckily, it definitely isn't in this case because you still get that signature sweetness from the dairy and sugar in ice cream.

That said, you should still plan on including eggs in the recipe. "Eggs are what will give structure to your French toast. Without [them], it would just be soaked bread, but adding eggs will give it the fluffy custard texture that makes French toast, French toast," Lim says. 

If you're ready to try this fun recipe and give your French toast an exciting twist, you need to consider which flavor of ice cream to use. "I would personally stick to more classic flavors like vanilla, maybe strawberry," Erin Lim states. Simple flavors are easier to pair with any dish, so they're perfect for getting your feet wet in the world of ice cream French toast.

Of course, the question is also a matter of preference. For instance, Lim explains, "I would avoid ice creams that have a lot of toppings mixed into it. I like my French toast with maple syrup so that's why I stick to more simple flavors that would pair well with it." Using an intense ice cream before lathering your bread with syrup might result in an overly sweet dish nobody wants to eat. Still, if you're one of the people who think that French toast doesn't need syrup, you might consider going for bolder flavors.

Start out with vanilla, then, move on to other simple flavors like chocolate or orange. Eventually, you could experiment with complex types of ice cream like mint chocolate chip or cookie batter. We can't promise these flavors will taste good, but the experiment will be fun. And, in the end, isn't that what cooking is all about?