Batard bread French Toast Can’t get enough eggnog? It’s a great way to use up leftover eggnog in a festive holiday breakfast. Irvin is a critically acclaimed cookbook author and food blogger. His cookbook “Marbled, Swirled, and Layered” was chosen as one of the best baking cookbooks of 2016 in the New York Times.

One of the biggest debates amongst my friends during the holidays is eggnog. Is it the best thing ever, or one of the worst things about the season? I can’t drink too much eggnog all by itself because it’s too rich on its own for my palate. However, I can have endless amounts of things made with eggnog, such as this Eggnog French Toast! Classic French toast is fairly simple to make, and eggnog French toast is just as easy. You simply swap out the milk for the eggnog.

This also appeals to my sense of frugality, as I usually have a carton of eggnog in the fridge from the holidays that I can’t drink fast enough. I like to add a dash of rum to the batter to give it that authentic eggnog touch, but feel free to omit that if you don’t drink alcohol. Or you can add a touch of rum extract, instead of the actual rum itself. I tend to like my eggnog French toast made with hearty rustic country bread.

Then I slice it about 1-inch thick before dunking it in the batter and frying it up. The older bread also tends to lead to a slightly chewier texture in the end, making it a great way to use up any leftover bread. But if you like your toast with a more soft custard-like inside, try buying a loaf of Texas toast, which is a soft and extra thick-cut white bread, or soaking the bread of your choice overnight. Overnight French toast allows you to do most of the prep work the night before.

Be careful with handling it, though: the longer the bread soaks, the more delicate it becomes. Keep Your French Toast Warm Until Serving! F, set a wire rack on a baking sheet, and place this in the oven. As you make your French toast, transfer it to the rack to ensure that the first piece of eggnog French toast is as warm and fresh as the last. Note: If you like your French toast more custard-like in the center, you can place all the bread in a baking pan in a single or double layer, pour the batter over the bread, then cover it with plastic wrap and leave it in the refrigerator overnight. Fry it in a skillet as directed in the recipe.