Sweeten Up Canned Bread With A French Toast Upgrade

When you think of the best breads for making French toast, some varieties probably come to mind more than others. You may think of a decadent eggy brioche, pleated challah, or sweet Hawaiian bread. The kind that probably isn't on the top of your list, but really should be? Canned bread. 

Yes, canned bread is a real thing, not just a fictional item conjured in an episode of "Spongebob Squarepants." As it turns out, it makes a pretty darn good French toast, too. Canned bread is moist and soft because it's made with molasses. This will offer your French toast a decadently sweet bite, along with a texture that easily soaks up your custard mixture. Keep in mind that it will more readily soak up the mixture if you pop open the can and leave the slices out overnight so they can dry out. That way, the custard will permeate all the crevasses of the bread and give you that full-bodied flavor that French toast is known for. 

There are really only two flavors of canned bread out there: original and raisin. Luckily, both will make for excellent additions to your French toast. We recommend slicing the toast rather thinly, even smaller than a standard slice of sandwich bread, since you want to give the custard enough of an opportunity to permeate into the bread — rather than just settling on its exterior. 

Once your French toast has been griddled to perfection, then it's time to serve it up with some toppings. Since the molasses flavor of the bread is deep and heavy, it would be best to try to lighten it up with a fruit or cream topping. For starters, you could try a blueberry compote or freshly sliced strawberries. Or, if you're looking for a cozy addition to your meal, try adding a bit of apple butter to the top of your bread. The autumnal flavors of the apples and the spices will play well with the deep, molasses flavor of the bread and make for the perfect breakfast on a cool fall day.