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+ servings

Get the Recipe: Cinnamon French Toast Crunch

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Ingredients

  • a loaf of study pain de mie (or, 6 slices Texas toast)
  • 1/2 cup 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon, plus more for garnish
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 cups half-and-half
  • 3 oz. sweetened condensed milk

Equipment

  • a metal cooling rack
  • a Chef's culinary torch (though you don't necessarily need one of these, see the recipe for more instructions)

Instructions
 

  • If you're working with a loaf of pain de mie, slice the bread into 1-inch slabs and spread 2 tablespoons of butter on each slice of bread, 1 tablespoon on each side — I know that sounds like a lot, but it's okay! It's dessert... right? Toast or bake the buttered bread until the edges are lightly browned.
  • Once the edges of the bread are lightly browned, remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Generously sprinkle ground cinnamon over both sides of the toast — I used around 2 tablespoons.
  • Put 2 cups granulated sugar in a shallow container or a plate and dip each piece of toast in the sugar, then sprinkle on a bit more sugar to coat evenly. Repeat on the other side of the bread so that both sides will be covered in sugar. Make sure that the cinnamon you sprinkled is completely covered by sugar, or else the cinnamon will burn.
  • Place the toast on a metal cooling rack set over a sheet pan. Use a Chef's culinary torch to melt the sugar with a torch, keeping the nozzle about 2 -3 inches from the toast. Keep the flame moving across the surface of the toast to avoid burning one spot, and avoid torching the edges of the bread because unsugared bread can ignite. Stop torching before the sugar turns dark brown — it will continue to darken on its own. Repeat on the other side until both sides of the toast have been brûléed.
  • (Pro tip: if you don't have a Chef's culinary torch, don't fret! You can make this in your oven by simply placing each piece of toast on a baking sheet, placing the sheet on the top-rack of the oven, broiling it for a few minutes. Just be careful to watch out for it since it'll burn pretty quickly.)
  • In a liquid measuring bowl, whisk 2 cups half-and-half together with 3 oz. sweetened condensed milk. Pour a generous amount of sweetened half-and-half cream over each piece of brûléed toast. Serve in a hefty puddle of cream and top with cinnamon.
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