John doesn’t like chai. Or so he claims. Even though it makes me sad, I can admit: I think I understand his stance. I think for him, it’s too flavorful. It’s just too much for his taste buds, I guess. One thing I loved about this chai French toast is that it wasn’t too overpowering. There was just enough chai flavor to pique your interest but it was still very reminiscent of the OG French toast flavors.
I haven’t always been a chai-lover. Actually, I probably wouldn’t even categorize myself as a “chai-lover” necessarily. I like it. I’ve made chai-infused bourbon and tried my hand at making a chai latte in my French press (it’s non-dairy!). Recently, I’ve reintroduced iced dirty chai lattes to my coffee shop life.
I always have some random chai tea bags in the house just in case I feel the need to infuse some bourbon again but beyond that, I rarely try anything new with it. Until, I opened my cabinets recently and noticed some teabags and immediately had the urge to make use of it. Naturally, my next thought was French toast. That’s normal right? It probably isn’t normal but who cares. French toast is one of my favorites but not soggy French toast. I’m huge on food textures so when I order it at a restaurant, it cannot be soggy. That’s just gross. I’m in love with breakfast places that consistently get the texture of French toast perfect. My heart thanks you.
Why chai French toast?
Like I said, French toast is my favorite. It reminds me of my childhood – I think my parents used to make French toast for me pretty often. I also love the cinnamon and nutmeg flavors a lot. The more cinnamon the better, in my opinion. Sometimes, I like to throw in a splash of bourbon in my French toast mixture – adds a little depth of flavor. Anyway, chai flavors aren’t too far off from flavors of French toast.
Chai has elements like ginger, cinnamon and cardamom (another spice favorite). When you think about it in the context of French toast, adding chai to the breakfast classis is a no brainer (also the name of a great song).
Besides the herbs and spices you use, the bread is also pretty important. Honestly, I use any type of bread that we have on-hand at home – doesn’t really matter to me. If I’m just having a major craving, the bread doesn’t matter much. However, on occasion, I like to use thick and eggy bread (challah!!). Challah bread is wonderful. I’ve never made it at home because I’m too lazy but I love buying some freshly made challah from a local bakery. I also like using potato bread for French toast (and for grilled cheese sandwiches).
I feel like Oprah over here, professing my love for bread. Anyway, the original recipe is from Olive and Artisan. She used croissants for French toast, which sounds great but I went with challah instead. That was pretty much the only major change I made. Please make this for breakfast – you won’t regret it.
