I call this Sunday Brunch Deep Fried French Toast because this is some impressive stuff. Thick-sliced, soft brioche or challah, possibly stuffed with goodness--or not, dipped in a thick, poofy batter and deep fried. It's big and impressive, but since the bread isn't completely soaked with custard it is much lighter than it looks. Perfect brunch fare. Enjoy with real maple syrup, jam or the peach-blueberry compote or sauce I made (recipe follows).
Susie Friou used cup measures, so I do too. If you'd like to weigh the flour, it should come in at right around 3-3.25 oz.
½teaspoonkosher salt(that's a lot, but it gives flavor. You'll want to use this much, I promise)
1cupbuttermilk
1egg
6-8 1"-1 1/2" pieces soft, fresh, rich bread (such as challah, brioche or even cinnamon rolls)
Oil for deep frying, about 1/2 gallon or so
For the Blueberry Peach Compote (or Sauce)
1pintblueberriesfresh or frozen
1 pintsliced peachesfresh or frozen
3-4Tablespoonshoneyor sweetener of choice
pinch salt
1Tablespoonlemon juice
½teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Whisk together the buttermilk and egg.
Thoroughly whisk the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture.
Allow the batter to sit for about 5 minutes. It will get very thick and poufy.
Bring the oil up to 350F in a large Dutch oven or other deep pot.
When the oil is just about at temperature, coat two pieces of bread with a thick coating of batter. Make sure to cover all sides.
Hold each battered piece of bread with tongs and shake over the bowl to remove any excess batter.
Carefully drop into the hot oil. Repeat with the second slice.
Fry about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes per side until deeply golden brown and crisp. Allow to drain on paper towels and store in the oven at 200F to keep warm.
Repeat battering and frying with the remaining pieces of bread.
Serve with your choice of real maple syrup, jam or peach-blueberry compote or sauce (recipe follows)
For the Blueberry Peach Compote (or Sauce)
Place the berries and peaches in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the sweetener, salt and lemon juice.
Heat over medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer for about 10 minutes.
Crush some of the blueberries against the side of the pan, but leave most whole.
Taste and adjust sweetener if necessary.
Cool slightly, and stir in the vanilla extract.
Refrigerate leftovers for up to a week
To Make This Into Sauce
Puree the compote in batches in a blender or using an immersion blender. Press through a fine mesh strainer.
Notes
You can cut a pocket in thicker slices of bread and stuff each piece with whatever sounds good: jam, cream cheese, chocolate chips, peanut butter, etc. As long as you don't overstuff them, the batter should keep your filling from leaking out into the oil.You should have just enough batter to coat your bread. Feel free to double the amount (just double everything including the baking powder to 4 teaspoons and the baking soda to 3 teaspoons/1 Tablespoon). If you do have extra batter, you can carefully drop tablespoons of the batter into the oil fry them until golden brown, let them drain for a minute on paper towels and then roll them in sugar or cover them with a boatload of powdered sugar for short-cut beignets. Seriously good!Nutritionals are for 1 of 8 slices of French toast and 1/8 of the sauce.