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If you already love the classic French toast, then you should try this French toast recipe with a Hong Kong twist. It is an irresistible dish for a quick and easy breakfast on a lazy weekend morning. This 10-minute recipe only requires 6 pantry-friendly ingredients, including bread, peanut butter, salad dressing, eggs, milk, and butter.
What You’ll Love About Hong Kong French Toast
Hong Kong French toast is a fluffy, milky, and nutty bread that is pan-fried on all sides.
Basically, you take a piece of bread, remove the crust, and cut it into 4 equal square slices. Each slice is slathered with peanut butter and salad sauce and stacked into a 3-layer sandwich.
In this way, you get a cube-shaped sandwich that you will have to fry on each side. But before that, you dip the sandwich in an egg and milk batter. Then, pan-fry it in butter until golden yellow on all sides.
Although the traditional Hong Kong French toast is typically deep-fried, I opted for a pan-fried version to lessen the fat.
You simply need to turn the sandwich on each side to ensure even color and toasting. As a finishing touch, drizzle some condensed milk or sweet syrup on top!
How To Customize Your Hong Kong French Toast
I listed a few excellent ideas on how to customize this recipe and create your own version.
However, there are a few recommended items and tips that need to be followed for a better-tasting Hong Kong French toast. Read this section before proceeding with the recipe instructions.
- Bread
- What to use: You can use milk bread or egg bread, which are typically light and fluffy. It is the ideal soft bread to absorb the egg batter fully. However, make sure to use a day-old bread since fresh bread may go soggy instantly as soon as it is dipped in egg and milk. A day-old bread is already firm and can hold its shape better even after dipping in the egg batter. Aside from milk bread or egg bread, you can use regular white bread as a substitute.
- How to prepare: Prepare the bread by cutting the crusts off. In this way, it helps seal the sides to prevent the spread from spilling. Moreover, it is basically to have an even-shaped toast when it is perfectly cut into squares.
- Spread
- Options: I use peanut butter and salad dressing. You can use peanut butter alone or pair it with another spread like nut butter, jam, or Nutella. Peanut butter is an excellent ingredient that can counter the sweetness of condensed milk or honey.
- How to spread: Do not overspread the peanut butter and salad dressing. Make sure to place a thicker portion in the center and a thinner portion on the edges to avoid spilling when fried.
- Egg + Milk
- Purpose: The sandwich is dipped in an egg and milk mixture. It serves as the coating of the toast and gives you a beautiful golden yellow crust.
- How to prepare: Whisk three eggs with 20m of milk. To have a silkier egg mixture, I recommend straining the egg mixture with a sieve to separate the eggy bits. In this way, you get a better-looking crispy crust.
- Do not soak too long: Make sure not to oversoak the sandwich. You only want to soak the edges with the egg and milk mixture. If it becomes too soggy, the sandwich will crumble when pan-fried.
- Alternative: If you prefer eggless toast, you can use heavy whipping cream or a mix of cornstarch and milk. Regular milk can be swapped with any dairy-free milk alternative.
- Butter: You can use regular butter or dairy-free butter for pan-frying the toast. If you don’t have butter, use any neutral oil, such as avocado, sunflower, and canola.
- Toppings: After frying all sides of the toast, it is now ready to serve with a drizzle of your chosen toppings. Traditionally, Hong Kong French toast is topped with condensed milk and honey. You can swap condensed milk with condensed coconut milk or coconut milk with maple syrup. Honey can be substituted with maple syrup, agave syrup, or golden syrup.
What You Need To Make Hong Kong French Toast
I recommend a non-stick pan to make it easier to pan-fry the toast without it sticking or burning. Once it sticks to the pan, the lovely crust will be ruined. You will also need a knife, mixing bowl, and the following ingredients:
- Bread (a day-old bread)
- Peanut butter or any nut butter
- Salad dressing
- 3 eggs
- 20ml milk
- Butter (for pan-frying)
- Toppings (Condensed milk, butter, or honey)
How To Make Hong Kong French Toast
You can do this recipe in just 10 to 15 minutes. Follow my 7 simple steps below or watch my tutorial guide on Instagram or TikTok for more guidance. Pair this sweet breakfast food with Cheesy Mashed Potato Waffles, Crispy Waffles, or Crispy Oyster Omelette.
Remove the crust on all sides of the bread and cut it into four equal squares. Make sure the slices are equal to get a better-looking sandwich and make it easier to pan-fry the sides evenly.
Spread peanut butter or salad dressingon each slice. You can alternate it for your 3-layer sandwich.
In a bowl, whisk together three eggs and 20ml of milk until well blended. This is also the part where you can strain the egg mixture to make it smoother for dipping.
Dip the entire sandwich into the egg mixture. The edges should be well-coated without oversoaking. Oversoaking can cause it to fall apart when pan-fried.
Heat a bit of butter in a pan over low heat. When the butter is melted and starts to bubble, place the sandwiches in the pan.
Fry the sandwich on all sides until each side turns golden yellow with a bit of crust. It should have a bit of brown for a crispier crust.
Finally, drizzle some condensed milk, maple syrup, or honey on top for additional sweetness and flavor.
Enjoy your fragrant, soft, and delightfully delicious breakfast treat with Avocado Gula Melaka Smoothie!
Hong Kong French Toast | A 10-Minute Recipe
Ingredients
- Bread a day-old bread
- Peanut butter or any nut butter
- Salad dressing
- 3 eggs
- 20 ml milk
- Butter for pan-frying
- Toppings Condensed milk, butter, or honey
Instructions
- Remove the crust on all sides of the bread and cut it into four equal squares. Make sure the slices are equal to get a better-looking sandwich and make it easier to pan-fry the sides evenly.
- Spread peanut butter or salad dressing on each slice. You can alternate it for your 3-layer sandwich.
- In a bowl, whisk together three eggs and 20ml of milk until well blended. This is also the part where you can strain the egg mixture to make it smoother for dipping.
- Dip the entire sandwich into the egg mixture. The edges should be well-coated without oversoaking. Oversoaking can cause it to fall apart when pan-fried.
- Heat a bit of butter in a pan over low heat. When the butter is melted and starts to bubble, place the sandwiches in the pan.
- Fry the sandwich on all sides until each side turns golden yellow with a bit of crust. It should have a bit of brown for a crispier crust.
- Finally, drizzle some condensed milk, maple syrup, or honey on top for additional sweetness and flavor.
