It's Not Really French

Breakfast, Tuesday January 10: French toast; peaches; bacon.

Seriously, its not French. AKA German toast, eggy bread (my favorate), or any number of other names, French toast should in fact more accurately be called Roman toast. The earliest recipe is from a collection of Roman recipes penned circa the 4th century. No matter what it is called, its original, and still relevant, intentional use was as a method for utilizing stale bread. Now that I think about it, the need or desire to utilize stale bread may have been bolstered by the Roman goverment. I seem tto remember reading that the citizens of Rome, the city, were given a sort of basic welfare of a ration of bread and olive oil. Olive oil has a long shelf life, especially if sealed away from any pesky oxygen. Bread, on the other hand, has a very short shelf life, stale in the first day and moldy within a week, depending on humidity and storge. 

Regardless of its origin, it is yummy and my 9-grain bread is fantastic as the base. It lends more tooth, the flax seed, whole and rolled grains give it interesting textures. Being denser however, it needs a bit more time on the griddle. Another trick that I have seen but never used is to transfer a hot (350, 375?) oven to finish. Finishing in the oven is also the way to cook really thick pieces. A couple of 2 inch thick slabs cut from a batard or challa looks great dusted with some powdered sugar and topped with a fanned strawberry.  The oven also has the advantage of acting as a way to hold the toast for company if you have guests trickling into the dining room. (Your sister could not possibly come to breakfast without "putting on her face.") Of course a cooler oven works if you just need it for holding, not finishing.