Tomato Pesto French Toast is a savory and delicious French toast with tangy tomato pesto flavor. You can either make the pesto or use premade pesto for this fun twist on the breakfast classic.

I made a similar recipe a while ago. But it only called for tomato paste and Parmesan cheese. I topped that one with poached eggs and a rarebit style cheese sauce. It was a lot of flavors at once, but it was delicious. And it made a great meatless dinner.

Is French toast really French?

Nope. Not in the least. In fact, it’s Roman. They created the first documented version of what we know as French toast. But they called it pan dulcis. The original recipe instructs you to break the bread into large pieces and soak in milk then fry in butter or oil. Top with honey and serve.

At some point in time eggs were added for more protein. Some believe that happened around medieval times. Food wasn’t as abundant during that time, and they needed to use up everything they could to feed their family. They added the eggs for protein and moisture.

If French toast isn’t French, they why is it called French toast? It’s named after Joseph French who claims to have created the dish in 1724. Which technically should be French’s Toast, but I guess it doesn’t sound as good as French toast. Or he threw grammatic caution to the wind and left the ‘s off the name.

The French actually call it pain perdu which means lost bread. Meaning, if they didn’t make pain perdu with the bread it would be lost. Germans call it arme ritter or poor knights. Some call it eggy bread, Bombay toast, gypsy toast, nun’s toast, Spanish toast, and simply French-fried bread. No matter what you call it, I call it delicious.

Of course, the dish travelled across the pond with the Pilgrims, one can only imagine. However, the name French toast seemed to stick. It arrives in print in the late 1800s in the Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink. For some reason I can’t seem to find what the recipe says. It would be interesting to see if it’s like what we make today.

What’s the best way to make French toast?

It all starts with the custard. That’s the stuff you dip the bread in. It’s called a custard because it’s eggs and milk or cream. What’s the ideal ratio of eggs to liquid? That remains to be seen. If you like your French toast almost like bread pudding, then probably err on the 4 eggs to cup of milk or cream. If you’re not the bread pudding type, then lean towards 3 or even 2 eggs.

Is cream better than milk? Not necessarily. Sometimes the extra fat content of the cream can leave a greasy taste in your mouth. Besides, not everyone keeps cream on hand. Milk is sufficient for French toast. And, like I said, if you like a richer French toast, then add more eggs.

Do you put sugar in the custard? You can. Some don’t like the contrast in flavors between the syrup and French toast. So, they put a little sugar in the custard to make that transition a little easier. I, however, do not like all that sweetness so I don’t put sugar in the custard. And especially not with this savory French toast.

Once you figure out how many eggs you want and if you want sugar in the custard or not, then we must think about the bread. I grew up using regular sandwich bread. And not necessarily old sandwich bread, either. While using this type of bread might lead to a less than ideal wet center it’s not absolutely necessary to dry the bread. When I use fresh sandwich bread, I tend to cook the bread lower and slower. This allows the center to be cooked through and not wet or gummy. If all you have to use sandwich bread, then try drying it in the oven a little first.

Most restaurants use brioche bread. It’s sweet, rich, and can absorb a good amount of custard and still retain its shape. Some dry it a little before dipping, but I don’t find it necessary. If you’re using a rustic or crusty bread, it’s not necessary to dry at all. It is sturdy enough to absorb the custard and hold up to the cooking process.

How do you make Tomato Pesto French Toast?

I didn’t have ready made pesto, so I made my own. I happened to have all the ingredients on hand. If you have tomato pesto, then by all means use that. I’d start with a 1/4 cup and see how it goes. Some pesto is thicker than others. I used less eggs since I planned on using pesto. I knew the pesto would make everything thicker.

My custard was a bit chunky when I put it in the processor. After dipping one slice, I put everything in the blender and let the blender process everything until smooth. The recipe instructions have you put all the ingredients in the blender. It prevents that chunkiness which makes it easier to dip the bread into the custard.

I let mine sit for a minute or so for maximum soakage. Yes, I know that’s not a word, but it sounds good. I spread some olive oil on my double burner griddle, which I love by the way. It’s one of my go to pans I use all the time for grilled cheese sandwiches to burgers, pancakes, and French toast. I heated it up on medium so I could cook the bread a little longer than usual. Cooking it low and slow ensures that the center is not gummy or wet.

Alternatively, you can brown the Tomato Pesto French Toast on the griddle and then pop it into the oven to finish cooking the center. That’s a great way to do cook French toast when you’re cooking for a crowd. And it can keep warm in there as people come to the table.

I drizzled mine with a little garlic olive oil and sprinkled it with grated Parmesan. But there are so many things you can top it with. Eggs are an obvious choice. You can top it with more tomato pesto. Maybe a balsamic drizzle or even an alfredo sauce. Garnish with basil or Parsley. I almost broiled mine to melt some cheese on top but didn’t. Heck, you could even top it with syrup if you want. It’s your Tomato Pesto French Toast.

French Toast

• Overnight French Toast Casserole from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Sausage and Cheese French Toast Roll-Ups from Palatable Pastime
• Tomato Pesto French Toast from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures

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