Cracker Barrel French Toast

French toast is a real combination of savory and sweet. It’s all the best parts of a pancake, an omelet, and toast all in one tasty dish. Cracker barrel French toast is one of those genuinely American style breakfasts and can be served in several ways. Today we are going to show you how to make Cracker Barrel French toast at home. We’ll also show you some tips and tricks to ensure that you get the perfect result every time.

How To Make Cracker Barrel French Toast

If you are a regular reader, you’ll know that I prefer simple recipes. Well, they don’t come more straightforward than this. You’ll be able to make Cracker Barrel French toast using standard store cupboard ingredients.

The distinctive taste of Cracker Barrel French toast actually comes from its main ingredient. We are, of course, talking about the bread. You’ll notice that this recipe uses sourdough bread. Sourdough bread is naturally leavened using a ‘starter’. This is where the ‘sour’ flavor comes from. The starter is made by mixing flour and water. Gradually over time, the natural sugars in the flour begin to ferment. This produces carbon dioxide that causes bread dough to rise.

Sourdough bakers are obsessive about their starters. Different flours and fermentation produce different flavors. For us, that is just a little too much hassle. When we make our homemade Cracker Barrel French toast recipe, we only use store-bought sourdough bread.

To make this recipe, you’ll need a skillet and a large bowl. That’s it! See, we told you that it was simple!

Making homemade Cracker Barrel French toast is easy. It makes the perfect ‘canvas’ to serve with other breakfast favorites. Let’s talk toppings. Our favorite is to top our French toast with a big blob of whipped cream and piles of candied bacon. However, you can use practically anything. Whipped cream and Blueberries? A few slices of strawberry and banana?  Maybe just a thick lashing of maple syrup? The choice is yours.

Before we dive into the recipe, we want you to get a perfect result every time. Why not take a look at some of our tips and tricks below. We offer lots of practical advice and even suggest some alternatives if you are running low on a few ingredients.

Ingredients

1. Large Eggs: Eggs are a crucial component in French toast, providing structure and helping to create a custard-like coating when mixed with milk.
2. Whole Milk: Milk is mixed with the eggs to create the custard base. It adds moisture and richness to the French toast.
3. Vanilla Essence: Vanilla essence enhances the flavor, adding a sweet and aromatic note to the French toast.
4. White Sugar: Sugar sweetens the custard mixture, balancing the savory elements and contributing to the golden-brown color when cooked.
5. Butter: Butter is used for cooking the French toast, adding flavor and helping to achieve a crispy, golden exterior.
6. Powdered Sugar: Served as a topping, powdered sugar adds a sweet finish and an attractive look to the French toast.
7. Sourdough Bread: Key to this recipe is the bread you use. Alternatively, challah bread is a good option.

Cracker Barrel French Toast

4 from 87 votes

Recipe by Laura Ritterman Course: BreakfastCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

10

minutes

Calories

250

kcal

This copycat Cracker Barrel French toast recipe is so quick and easy to make, you won’t know the difference from the restaurant.

Ingredients

• 4 large eggs

• 1 cup 1 of whole milk

• 1 tsp 1 of vanilla essence

• 4 tsp 4 of white sugar

• 2 tbsp 2 butter

• ½ cup powder sugar

• sourdough bread

Directions

• Take a large skillet and place on medium to high heat. Meanwhile, using a large bowl, add the milk and eggs and whisk until well mixed.
• Add the vanilla essence and the white sugar and mix again.
• Working one at a time, take a slice of sourdough bread. Dunk it into your egg mixture, flip it, and dunk it again. You want the bread to be entirely covered, no bare patches!
• Drop each coated piece of bread into the pan, cook for around 2 minutes per side until it is lightly golden, then flip.
• Remove the French toast from the pan and dust with a little powder sugar.
• Serve with the topping of your choice.

Notes

• We include a hint of vanilla in our Cracker Barrel French toast recipe. There’s something about vanilla and powder sugar that really works. However, if you don’t have vanilla, it is ok to leave it out. In this recipe, we use vanilla essence. For something a little bit classy, feel free to use real vanilla pods. Just split the vanilla pod and scrape the seeds from the inside.

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Tips and Tricks

• As we’ve said, sourdough forms the basis of this recipe. But it isn’t a deal-breaker. If you don’t have any sourdough bread, ordinary bread will work just as well. The only difference will be that you won’t get the slight ‘tang’ like you would with sourdough bread. Some people don’t actually like the ‘tang’.

• We use sugar to sweeten the recipe. If you are trying to count calories or reduce your sugar intake, a sweetener such as stevia or another alternative can be used.

• One of the main keys to this recipe is making sure that your pan is hot enough. We don’t want the French toast to be soggy. Use medium to high heat and make sure your pan is up to temperature before cooking.

• If you are cooking for a crowd, then making French toast can get a little messy. The key is to be organized. Make a mini production line that looks something like this… Bowl, pan, plate. Work methodically and cook the French toast in batches.

• Here’s a secret tip. For your egg mixture, use the biggest bowl that you can get your hands on. The larger the bowl, the easier it will be to dip and flip your French toast.

• Don’t be tempted to leave several pieces of bread submerged in the egg mixture. A quick dip is fine. A long soak is not. Your French toast will end up soggy and may even break apart if you leave it in the mixture too long.

• This recipe is adaptable. It will make 8 slices of Cracker Barrel French toast. If you need to make more, simply double the ingredients. Likewise, if you need to make less, then you can halve the ingredients.

Try These Recipes

Cracker Barrel Carrots

Cracker Barrel Pancakes

Cracker Barrel chicken and dumplings

Meatloaf

Fried Apples

Conclusion

Cracker Barrel French toast is one of those recipes that looks ‘classy’ but is actually really simple. The dish is delicious on its own, but don’t be afraid to experiment with different toppings. What is your favorite French toast accompaniment? Let us know in the comments below.