It's hard to believe, but it's been over three years since I've had French toast (which used to be one of my favorite brunch time foods). Most of the gluten-free breads I tried over the years just did not taste very good, so I basically gave up on bread altogether. This was until Andrew and I went to Seattle and visited a fabulous vegan restaurant that served one of the most amazing gluten-free buns I had ever tasted. Of course I had to ask the waiter what company made this bread and it turned out to be a place in Seattle. I looked up their Website and found that not only was their bread gluten-free and vegan, but it was also soy free! The only ingredient I did not particularly like on the list was xanthan gum, but luckily I did not have any reactions to it like I had in the past. I found a retailer and bought many loaves, which I carried back on the plane with me - there was no way I was going to take a chance of anything happening to my precious bread!
Unfortunately I have already run out of my many loaves experimenting with different recipes, but a little birdie told me the company will soon be stocking their food items in my local health foods store. The company is called Olivia Superfree (formerly known as Wheatless in Seattle) and I hope to have a chance to sample their bread again soon...
UPDATE. Now that we live in Portland, OR I have tasted the best vegan, gluten-free bread at New Cascadia Traditional Bakery. Should you find yourself out this way, I highly recommend stopping by - you may want to pack an extra bag to take some home with you, too, because it's that good.
french toast ingredients
makes 12 1/2" slices
2 cups coconut milk, almond milk, pecan milk, or other milk of your choice - using coconut milk will yield a more decadent french toast
2 tablespoons whole or ground white or black chia seeds (use whole seeds for a crunchier texture)
1/2 cup of water
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean powder to 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
pinch of sea salt
coconut oil or other oil of your choice for the griddle/pan
1 loaf of vegan, gluten-free bread (I used a sourdough bread in the picture above) or other bread of your choice
In a small bowl add the chia seeds and water. Stir and then set aside. In separate, larger bowl add the milk, cinnamon, cardamom, vanilla and nutmeg then whisk together. After the chia seed mixture has set for approximately 5 minutes, stir it again, then add it to the larger bowl and whisk all of the ingredients until well combined.
Add a tablespoon of oil to your griddle or cast iron pan and turn the heat to medium - if using a griddle set the heat somewhere between 350°F to 375°F depending on the type you are using. Take a piece of bread and place it into the milk mixture, flip to coat both sides, then add it to the griddle/pan and cook approximately 4 to 6 minutes per side. Continue in this way until all of the bread has been used.
To serve, arrange the slices of french toast whole or halved on a plate, drizzle with maple syrup and dust with a little powdered sugar. You could also spoon fresh fruit or a compote on top as well. It will taste parfait no matter how your choose to serve it.
French toast - le pain perdu, "lost bread"
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