Gluten free French toast can be so disgusting. If you don’t use the right type of bread, it falls apart instantly and once cooked, it adopts the worst possible texture you could ever imagine. It’s so fragile and easy to mess up, but I’ve found a no-fail option… and it’s all in the brand of gluten free bread.
The Gluten Free Bread –
I’ve been obsessed with Schar brand for a while. The frozen croissants are the closest thing I’ve ever had to a “normal” croissant, the crackers are a MUST HAVE addition to every cheese plate I make, the pasta is amazing, and the chocolate-dipped tea cookies are one of my favorite desserts in the world. By far, my favorite product of theirs is the Artisan Baker White Bread. I think it’s the best gluten free store-bought bread anyone could find, because it doesn’t fall apart or rip, and there are NEVER large holes running through the whole loaf (and let’s face it, that’s one of the biggest challenges when it comes to finding good gluten free sandwich bread). Now I use this bread for everything, but it’s particularly perfect for French toast because it doesn’t lose the bite it has to it when it hasn’t been cooked.
My General Notes –
So this French toast is different than your classic French toast because there’s cocoa powder in the soaking mixture; this gives it that slightly bitter dark chocolate flavor that so many people adore. I’m not the biggest fan of dark chocolate, but I think this recipe is perfect. It’s not too sweet (which can be a good thing in the morning) and tastes amazing paired with berries or bananas. In this particular recipe, I stuffed it with Nutella to give it the extra chocolate hazelnut flavor and melted gooey texture that all of America is obsessed with. And honestly, I don’t know anyone who doesn’t enjoy Nutella.
Another great thing about this recipe is that it’s so easy. There are VERY few ingredients, most of which you probably already have in your house. It can be the perfect meal to make in quarantine when you’re feeling like something fancy but can’t get to the grocery store.
Ingredients –
This recipe uses eggs, milk, vanilla extract, cocoa powder, nutella, and a loaf of gluten free bread… and that’s it. I, however, love to get creative with the toppings, so I used strawberries and mini chocolate chips, but I would also recommend thin banana slices, chopped nuts or fruit compote. You can even forget about stuffing it with Nutella and go for the classic maple syrup and butter.
This recipe is so easy, that half the battle is choosing the right container in which to whisk the egg mixture. I’ll make it a whole lot easier right now: I highly recommend using a shallow square baking dish. This one can fit 4 smaller slices of bread, or 3 larger slices, and the egg and milk mixture ends up filling 1/2 of the dish, leaving ample space for the bread to soak. You want your dish to end up being filled at least 1/3 of the way up with the mixture, so the bread soaks it up all the way through.
Instructions –
Start by GENTLY whisking the milk and eggs together until fully combined. Be careful while you whisk; it can be easy for some of the mixture to splash over the sides of the dish and end up on your table which makes a mess AND wastes ingredients!
Add the vanilla and cocoa powder next, and again, gently whisk until fully combined. You really don’t need to sift your cocoa powder, because it’s pretty easy to whisk out the clumps.
You should soak the slices of bread for around two minutes on each side. This will ensure that the egg mixture gets all the way through. The good thing is that if you soak the bread for longer than that, it doesn’t cause any issues. The French toast will still turn out delicious! That’s one of the reasons why I swoon over the Schar bread; it doesn’t fall apart!
Cook the French toast over medium heat for about five minutes on each side. Some stoves may take a longer amount of time. And be careful if you have a gas stove… you may have to turn the heat down. After cooking, the French toast should look like this on both sides:
Filling the Toast with Nutella –
Now you can stop if you want and just eat the chocolate French toast as is! However, I highly recommend going the extra mile and stuffing it with Nutella! Now I say it’s “stuffed” French toast, but it’s more like a Nutella grilled cheese. However, it tastes the same, looks the same, and is 100 times easier. There is really no need for cutting a slit in the middle of the bread, piping in the Nutella, and hoping it doesn’t explode.
Pick two slices of chocolate French toast and put them back in the pan on low heat. Flip them, and spread Nutella on one of the slices. Because the toast was just flipped, it’ll be hot and the Nutella will melt, leaving it all gooey and oozing out. Make a sandwich with the two pieces of French toast. The Nutella should be in the middle.
This recipe is easy, simple, and delicious. It tastes like dessert for breakfast and, seriously, who doesn’t want dessert for breakfast? Here’s the recipe:
Nutella Stuffed Chocolate French Toast
Ingredients
- 1 loaf Gluten free bread (I like to use Schar Artisan Baker White Bread. For more info, read the post)
- 3 large eggs
- 2/3 cup milk (You can use dairy milk or plant based milk)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tsp cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup nutella
- Toppings! (You can use whatever you want, but I recommend either mini chocolate chips, strawberries, chopped nuts, banana slices, or powdered sugar)
Instructions
- In a shallow baking dish, mix together your eggs and milk. Whisk until combined fully, but be careful that none of the milk splashes over the edge.
- Add the cocoa powder and vanilla extract and whisk again, until fully combined.
- Soak 3-4 pieces of bread (depending on how many you can fit in the dish) in the egg and milk mixture for around 3 minutes on each side.
- While the bread is soaking, turn on a large skillet to medium heat. Spray with nonstick spray or add around 1/2 tbsp of butter to the pan.
- Once the pan has heated, add the soaked slices of bread and add 3-4 more slices of bread to the dish of egg mixture. Cook the already soaked bread for around 5 ish minutes on each side or until golden brown.
- To stuff the French toast with Nutella, return two pieces of the chocolate French toast to the pan with 1/2 tbsp butter.
- After 2 minutes, flip the French toast over and spread nutella on ONE of the slices. Put the other slice on top and cook for 2 minutes on each side, like a grilled cheese.
- Remove from the pan, cut diagonally, and top with whatever toppings you'd like. I used strawberries, mini chocolate chips, and powdered sugar.