Chocolate Chip French Toast (Egg & Dairy Free)
This chocolate chip French toast is a decadent weekend brunch that cooks in only 12 minutes. It's egg free, dairy free, low FODMAP and vegan.
Servings: 4
Equipment
- 1 Wide shallow dish
Ingredients
French toast
- 400 g white wheat sourdough thickly sliced from an uncut loaf
- 200 g plain, firm tofu pressed and drained
- 125 ml unsweetened almond milk
- 100 g coconut yoghurt
- 2 tablespoon smooth peanut butter
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup Grade A
- ½ vanilla bean seeds only
- ⅛ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoon vegan butter
- 10 g dark chocolate chips per serving (40 grams total)
- sliced orange wedges optional, to serve
Orange marmalade butter
- 2 tablespoon vegan butter
- 2 tablespoon orange marmalade
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt optional to taste
Instructions
- Cut 400 g white wheat sourdough into thick, single-serving slices that can withstand handling, dredging and turning without falling apart.If using an uncut loaf as recommended, cut off the end crust first and weigh it to guide you on how thick to cut your remaining slices.
- To a jug blender, add 200 g plain, firm tofu, 125 ml unsweetened almond milk, 100 g coconut yoghurt, 2 Tbsp smooth peanut butter, 2 Tbsp maple syrup, ½ vanilla bean (seeds only), ⅛ tsp ground turmeric, ¼ tsp ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg, and ⅛ tsp fine sea salt. Whizz up into a thick, smooth custard, shaking and scraping down the sides as needed.
- Pour half of the custard into a shallow dish, large enough to fit a single slice of bread. Allow the bread to wallow in the custard for 30 seconds, then carefully flip the slice over and submerge the other side for a further 30 seconds.
- Set a wire rack over a baking tray. Repeat step three with each slice of bread. As each slice is dredged, allow the excess custard to drip back into the custard dish. Set each slice on the wire rack whilst you dip the next.If your bread is chunky enough, you can stand it on its end so you don’t disturb the coating. If your bread won’t stand up, you’ll need to fry the slices one at a time as you dredge them.
- Whilst the bread rests on the wire rack, make the flavoured butter by briskly whipping together 2 Tbsp vegan butter, 2 Tbsp orange marmalade, and ¼ tsp ground cinnamon. For this small amount, I whip by hand, using a fork.Once fully incorporated, taste the butter and add the remaining ⅛ tsp sea salt if required. This will depend on your taste and the saltiness of your chosen brand of butter.
- Melt the remaining 2 Tbsp vegan butter in a non-stick frying pan on medium heat. Place as many slices as you can fit in a single layer without them touching. My pan took two at a time.Fry the bread on each side for approximately 5 minutes until toasted and golden brown.
- This step is optional, but it's definitely worth taking the extra few minutes. Once each flat face of the bread is toasted and the custard has set, use heat-safe tongs to slowly press the crusty edges against the pan until golden.Rotate the bread every minute or so until all the edges are toasted and the custard has formed a sealed crust.
- Slather each slice with marmalade butter and sprinkle 10 g dark chocolate chips per portion evenly across the top. Carefully place the slices back into the pan, choc chip side up and cover with a lid for roughly 1 minute until the chocolate starts to turn glossy and melt.Serve immediately with optional sliced orange wedges on the side.
Notes
Prep tip: This custard can be made up to 48 hours ahead and stored in the fridge. If making ahead, then allow it to come back up to room temperature and whizz it up in the blender for approx 30 seconds before proceeding with step three.
Cooks tips:
The great thing about vegan, egg free custard is that you can safely taste the batter before cooking. Once the custard is blitzed together, taste and adjust to your liking. Add more maple syrup or vanilla for sweetness and cinnamon or nutmeg for warming spice flavour.
Although this recipe serves 4, the custard mixture serves 8. This is intentional, as you'll generally get a smoother finish and better results when making the larger amount in a blender. Also, you'll likely be serving this to folks who are not on a low FODMAP diet and may want to eat more than one slice.
Store leftover custard in the fridge and use it within 3 days. If you prep and make the custard ahead of time, you need to factor this into the total 3-day storage recommendation.
See the full blog post for step-by-step photos, FAQ's and detailed FODMAP notes. FODMAP values, portions and classifications can and do change over time as foods are retested and FODMAP research develops.
I use standard UK metric measurements in all of my recipes:
- 1 cup = 250 ml
- 1 tablespoon = 15 ml
- 1 teaspoon = 5 ml
