French Lost Bread (Pain Perdu)

Mix the custard

In a wide shallow dish, whisk the milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt until smooth and no streaks of egg remain. A shallow dish lets the bread lie flat and soak evenly.

• 350 ml whole milk
• 2 eggs
• 40 g sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 pinch salt

✅ Done when: the mixture is pale yellow and fully blended

Soak the bread

Lay the bread slices in the custard and let them sit about 30 seconds per side, pressing gently with a fork so the liquid reaches the centre. Day-old bread is key here: it drinks up the custard slowly without turning to mush, while fresh soft bread would fall apart.

• 8 slices day-old bread

✅ Done when: the slices feel heavy and damp all the way through but still hold their shape

Heat the butter

Melt half the butter in a wide non-stick or cast-iron pan over medium heat, around 160°C (320°F) on an induction setting if yours shows temperature. The butter should foam gently, not brown or smoke, or it will burn before the bread cooks through.

• 15 g butter (half)

✅ Done when: the butter is melted and gently foaming

Fry until golden

Lift each soaked slice, letting excess custard drip off, and lay it in the pan without crowding. Fry 2–3 minutes per side, adding the rest of the butter as needed, until deeply golden and set in the middle.

• 15 g butter (remaining)

✅ Done when: both sides are golden brown and the centre no longer looks wet or jiggly

Serve warm

Serve the pain perdu straight from the pan, dusted with sugar and cinnamon or drizzled with honey or jam. It is best eaten hot, while the crust is still crisp.

• to serve cinnamon, honey or jam