How To Make French Toast Without Cinnamon
Having a great breakfast is essential to jump start your day. There are varieties to choose from to indulge yourself for a decadent breakfast, and one of them is to make a French toast. This dish is called by different names and has different variants. The famous names and variants of French toast are “eggy bread”, “Bombay toast”, “gypsy toast”, and “poor knights”.
Normally, French toast is made with slices of bread soaked in an egg mixture composed of beaten eggs, sugar and typically milk. It is then pan-fried before serving with toppings such as maple syrup. French toast would taste like custard on the inside with buttery crispy golden edges.
Most French toast recipes would call for cinnamon as one of its main ingredients since it is part of the traditional flavor profile of the French toast. However, there are cases that cinnamon might not be available for certain reasons, such as allergic reactions, that would prevent you from using this spice.
If that’s the case, there’s no need to worry as you can still make some French toast without cinnamon. What you will find below are some tips and tricks to make a delicious French even if you don’t add cinnamon into it.
Make French Toast Without Cinnamon
Why Is Cinnamon Important in Making French Toast?
As you have learnt, classic French toast is made by soaking sliced bread into an egg mixture composed of beaten eggs, milk, sugar, and spices combined to form a custard. Making French toast normally uses stale bread as it is more suitable than using freshly baked breads. Fresh bread may become too soggy once soaked into the mixture and that is not good for a French toast.
Chefs would add cinnamon into the egg custard mixture where the bread is being dipped before frying. Cinnamon has also been incorporated into French as a decoration and to add a depth of flavor. That is why you would normally see some French toast being sprinkled with cinnamon along with powdered sugar.
Adding cinnamon to the French toast definitely adds some kick to its flavor. However, the good news is that it will not hinder you into creating a French for some delicious breakfast.
What Are The Substitutes For Cinnamon To Make a French Toast?
If you want to know how to make French toast without cinnamon, it is imperative that you have an idea on what would be a good alternative should you not be able to use cinnamon. Adding these substitutes would ensure you will still be able to enjoy a delicious breakfast as your French toast would not taste as plain as bread and sugar.
Nutmeg – Nutmeg has a similar flavor profile with cinnamon and this would make a great alternative as it can also come in powdered form. Their only difference is that nutmeg would not be as strong as cinnamon. If you are one of those people that is allergic with cinnamon, nutmeg would be a great substitute for you.
Vanilla Extract – How to make French toast without cinnamon? Then use vanilla extract. What you will achieve is a sweet French toast with a rich vanilla aroma. This useful alternative to cinnamon can save the day, so grab some vanilla extract bottles when you go shopping.
Pumpkin Pie Spice – It is inevitable that you could run out of cinnamon stock at your pantry and you also don’t have a vanilla extract. If that’s the case, then get some pumpkin pie spice. This would make up for the lack of flavor and should add a different flavor profile on your French toast. Other sweet spice blends should also work fine.
Wine – You might wonder why wine is listed here. Soaking your bread into the wine before dipping it into your egg mixture or egg custard mixture will add some boozy twist on the traditional French toast profile. European countries, such as Spain, are actually using wine on their French toast recipe.
Another good alternative worth mentioning would be Cardamom. It might be an unusual substitute for cinnamon, but it works. You can also use a spice blend of cloves and ginger. These spices could replicate the taste of cinnamon. Cloves help in providing earthy richness while ginger would balance the acidity.
How To Make French Toast Without Cinnamon?
This recipe is easy to create and only needs the following ingredients:
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1 dash salt
- 1 teaspoon
- Vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons butter (for greasing the pan)
- 8 to 10 slices bread (preferably stale or a day-old bread)
- Maple Syrup or powdered sugar (optional for toppings)
Procedures:
- Prepare all the ingredients. In a wide, shallow bowl or pie plate, break the eggs and start beating them lightly with a fork or whisk.
- Stir in the milk, sugar, and salt with 2 drops of vanilla extract into the beaten eggs to form your egg custard mixture.
- Over a medium-low heat, grease a skillet or griddle with a thin layer of butter.
- Place the bread slices, one at a time, into the mixture and let it soak for a few seconds and then carefully turn to coat the other side. You can coat only a few slices to avoid it getting soggy as you will be cooking one at a time.
- Fry the egg-coated bread slices to the hot skillet or griddle. Continue the low heat and let the bread get a golden brown color. Turn and brown the other side. Follow the same process until you are done with all the bread slices.
- You can now drizzle your French toast with your favorite toppings such as maple syrup and powdered sugar. Enjoy your French toast.
What Toppings Go Well With French Toast?
Having some topping will make your French toast taste even better. While some may use cinnamon as their favorite toppings, there are other great alternatives that can be used as toppings for your French toast.
Whipped cream – This versatile topping can make a good substitute for cinnamon on your French toast. You can buy whipped cream in a can or you can make your own whipped cream by using heavy cream, sugar, and plenty of elbow grease. You won’t be looking for cinnamon once you add a cloud of whipped cream to the top of your French toast.
Fresh Fruit – For those health-conscious folks, try adding a fresh fruit on top of your French toast if you don’t have cinnamon. You can chop up some strawberries, blueberries, or melon and arrange them on top of the French toast.
Powdered Sugar – sprinkling this instead of cinnamon powder on the top of the French toast would elevate the eating experience. In terms of texture, powdered sugar would be the closest one to cinnamon. Sprinkle some on top for that extra sweet kick on your French toast.
Maple syrups – This on-the-go toppings is also perfect to go with your French toast. Drizzle it over the top for that sweet and savory taste. Don’t have it? Then use honey instead.
Final Thoughts
A delicious French toast can be achieved even without cinnamon. As you see, there are few substitutes that you can use should you miss that ingredient or if you can’t use it. If you don’t have some spices on hand, there are other ways on how you can make some French toast that has a great flavor.
One great way to do that is to have a stuffed French toast. That is when you sandwich two slices of eggy bread with your preferred filling. The Hong Kong variation on French toast, Hong Kong French toast, is created by putting two slices of bread together with a spread of peanut butter, jam, or a spread of your choice. It is then put into the mixture of egg and fried.
A cream cheese filling would provide that bit of savory acidity to French toast. You can also have fruits and nuts as a stuffing of your French toast. Want a different type of toast aside from French toast? Get some Texas toast instead. It is a toast typically made from sliced bread that has been sliced at double the usual thickness of packaged bread.
If you don’t want some spices on your French toast, switch to the eggy bread version. Simply dip the bread into an egg custard mixture without any sugar or sweet spices added. It is great to be served with other breakfast staples, such as bacon and eggs. It is even great on its own or with some coffee.
For a more savory French toast, try adding some grated parmesan French toast mixture to achieve a salty, stronger pop of flavor profile. Adding herbs, such as dry mustard, garlic, thyme, oregano, or any herb of your choice would be a great idea as well to have a pungent French toast.
So whether you don’t have cinnamon because you ran out of stock, or you can’t use it due to some allergic reactions, there are great ways to have a delicious and delectable French toast that is meant to be enjoyed for breakfast or even during lunch.
