Vegan French Toast Challenge
I could absolutely be vegetarian or vegan if I had a personal chef. I know, I am a chef. But I just don’t have the time to make the efforts that eating in that lifestyle demands.
I’ve had some truly amazing plant based meals, but long term, to keep that up, I’d need more. More flavor, more complexity, more satisfaction. I’m generally of the mind set that I don’t want a plant based replica. I want things to be what they are. I don’t pretend to be something I’m not and I expect the same thing from my food. It infuriates me when someone calls frozen yogurt “Ice Cream”. Its not, in any way whether you measure by FDA regulations, or the let down you feel with the comparison. So don’t try to make ice cream, try to make the most amazing frozen desert you can. I’ll take it for what it is, rather than compare it. One of my favorite treats is frozen pureed banana and peanut butter. Its incredible and it doesn’t try to be something its not.
I’m often asked about vegetarian or vegan replacements for ingredients in pastries and baked goods. In my cakes, I have no problem swapping out one ingredient. Its not hard with the one for one flours available to make a cake gluten free. Its not impossible to replace eggs. Many oil based cakes are better than their butter based siblings. But when asked to replace them all, that’s when the trouble begins. Each of these items carries flavor, and depth, mouth feel and very importantly, structure. The items have reasons for being there, past only flavor. Vegan buttercream will never be as stable and smooth as butter based ones. Structurally, a 5 or 7 tier wedding cake becomes rather unstable, and very difficult to transport.
But, you’ve challenged me to make a plant based version of the French Toast I made for Epicurious 4 Levels, and I took your challenge.
First I made a brioche dough, replacing the eggs and butter. If I didn’t have the palate memory of the original, I’d be very pleased with the result. It did hold more moisture than the standard recipe, so to make french toast with it, I’d let it go stale for a day or two. I made mine the next day, and it could have been a bit more stale.
I replaced the whole milk with coconut milk. I was trying to get as much texture and flavor into it as I could. It worked well, but next time, I’d go farther and use the canned, thicker version.
I used the miracle aquafaba to replace the eggs. This added more moisture than the eggs would have, and probably why it stayed fresher longer.
The toppings were a breeze. Bourbon was demanded. I set it ablaze in the pan just as the turbinado sugar melted over the bananas. By doing this, I cooked off most of the alcohol and left only flavor behind, but if flambe scares you, just let it cook down in a pan a bit, and hold on to some of the alcohol. Who doesn’t want a boozy brunch?
And a final garnish, I added blueberry, vanilla maple syrup. Super easy, and you can do this with many other fruits you might have on hand. I really do love the deep blue color the syrup turns when the berries have cooked off. This is also a fantastic use for that frozen fruit you’re keeping around for a special occasion.
To make the french toast, I again used the aquafaba and coconut milk, this time with a touch of cinnamon. Again, next time, I’ll keep with the canned coconut cream here too, but I did really enjoy the final result.
The key here it to make sure every component is seasoned with salt. Not a heavy hand, but its important for the satisfying feeling to properly season each part. Is it the same as traditional french toast? No, but I’m not asking it to be. I’m asking it to be the best version of itself. So in anticipation of your Sunday brunch, here is my recipe for French Toast, vegan style. Get to work on the bread right away, or jump ahead and purchase a good dairy free loaf.
Recipe: Vegan French Toast
Brioche
INGREDIENTS:
Sponge
9g instant yeast
120 g coconut milk
50 g organic sugar
100g all purpose flour
Dough
315 g All purpose Flour
5 g salt
135 g aquafaba
175 g earth balance sticks at room temperature
2 T demerera sugar
DIRECTIONS:
Warm coconut milk slightly to take off the chill. Do not over heat or it will harm the yeast. Add yeast, sugar and flour and mix to a paste. Let this mixture sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Add the sponge to the bowl of a kitchen aid mixer. Add aquafaba and mix to combine. Add flour, and salt and mix with the dough hook on speed 2. Allow this to knead on the mixer to develop the gluten, about 8 minutes. With the machine still running, start to add the earth balance a tablespoon at a time, until all of it is completely incorporated. It will take a bit to get it all in there, don’t worry.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough sit at warm room temperature for 90 minutes. If its cold, it may need more time. When the dough has doubled in size, remove the dough from the bowl and place it on the counter top. Form a rectangle that is about 9” wide. Roll the top edge over itself and with your fingertips, press the edges of the rolled edge down into the dough. Continue like this, rolling and pressing until you have the dough tightly rolled up, with a good amount of surface tension.
Spray a 9” loaf pan with baking spray and place the dough seam side down into it. It should be as long as the pan, and fill it about 1/2 of the way up. Use the same piece of plastic wrap and cover this. Leave it at room temperature until it doubles in size again, 40 minutes to 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle demerera sugar on the top of the loaf and bake for 45 minutes or until dough is set and if you’re the type, is 195 degrees.
If you can wait, let the bread go a bit stale on the countertop for 1- 2 days. If you’re not the patient type, continue on…
Blueberry Syrup
INGREDIENTS:
275 g of maple syrup
1 pt blueberries
3 g salt
10 g vanilla extract
Add the syrup, blueberries and salt to a sauce pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the blueberries have mostly broken down and turned the syrup blue. Add vanilla off the heat and reserve.
French Toast
135 g aquafaba
60 g coconut milk (or other non dairy milk)
4 g cinnamon
3 g salt
Earth balance sticks for cooking
Whisk together aqua faba, non dairy milk, cinnamon and salt, in a shallow bowl. Slice the bread in 3/4 inch pieces. If the bread is not a bit stale, you can toast the slices in an oven for a few minutes to dry it out. You’re not looking for color, but just to remove some of the moisture.
Heat a sauté pan over medium hight heath. Melt about 2 tbs of the earth balance. Quickly dip each side of each slice of the brioche and place it into the pan. Cook until it has the desired browning. Flip it over and continue to cook until the browning is even on both sides.
Bourbon Bananas
4 firm but ripe bananas sliced at an angle
25 g earth balance
20 g demerera sugar
3 g salt
50 g bourbon of your choice
Melt earth balance in a large sauté pan. Add demerera sugar and let this cook for a minute. Add salt and bananas. Sautee until the banana are coated in the sugar mixture.
Move the pan off the heat and add the bourbon. I flambeed the bourbon, but you want to be super careful not to set everything on fire… so feel free to gently cook the bananas for another minute or two. The less you cook the more alcohol will remain, and the more intact the bananas will stay.