Hang on, don’t go anywhere! If you’ve never had savory french toast before you are about to have your mind blown. It’s crisp, rich, thick, has lots of parmesan, and is drizzled with an easy homemade hollandaise sauce. Try it for brunch or an incredible breakfast for dinner. Originally published June 13, 2014.
Eric was busy doing something on his phone earlier today and I asked him what he was up to. He said it wasn’t important. I asked again. He said just a stupid game. What game? Shuffle Puck Cantina. How do you play? Well it’s like air hockey except you’re playing against these aliens and it’s like a spoof of the Star Wars–
“I’m soooooo booooooorrrrreeeeed.”
I wonder if this is how he feels when he looks over my shoulder and I’m on Pinterest.
Do you like playing games on your phone? I know there are a million popular ones out there. I just can’t get into it. You should see me try to play. It’s just a series of deaths. For any video game, actually. Watching me play Mario Kart kind of feels like banging your head against the wall. I fall off the cliff again, and again, and again. Thank goodness for Instagram! (My time suck of choice. No cliffs.)
Savory parmesan French toast with Hollandaise sauce
I know French toast is supposed to be cinnamony and buttery and all maple-syrupy (see my cream cheese French toast casserole for an example) but this Parmesan version is giving the sweet stuff a run for its money. It is sooooo good. You know how when you go out to breakfast you have to decide between sweet and savory? (Or stuffing yourself with both?) Well the savory French toast has got your back. It really is French toast: thick bread, egg wash, fried in butter. The original recipe stopped here, but what’s the point of French toast without syrup? There isn’t one. Hollandaise sauce to the rescue!
Featured Comment
“Okay, so I made this instead of waffles on Waffle Night. It has now replaced Waffle Night. We now celebrate “Carb Night” (cuz ‘French Toast Night’ doesn’t roll off the tongue nicely), instead. Yeah, everyone was an INSTANT fan of this.” – Caroline
Key ingredients
- Good French toast requires good quality bread. A loaf of regular squishy grocery store white bread can’t handle what we’re throwing at it. Challah is a great choice, so is brioche or a good French bread.
- Grate your own Parmesan for this if you can. If you can’t, at least buy the pre-grated stuff that still looks like grated cheese. This is not the time for Parmesan dust from the green shaker.
- You need heavy cream for a really rich tasting French toast. Don’t buy coffee creamer, what you’re looking for will say whipping cream, heavy cream, or even heavy whipping cream, and it will be with the milk in the refrigerator section.
How to make savory French toast
Don’t skimp on the bread; I used this already-awesome cheese bread. It’s artisan, but a regular loaf will work fine too.
When you make the hollandaise sauce, tilt the blender a little bit. There’s not that much liquid in there and this helps it blend up.
Keep your sauce in a bowl of hot water. If you microwave it, it will curdle. This is the method you should use after leftovers have been refrigerated as well.
A note on this hollandaise sauce: it’s a blender recipe. I love it and use it all the time because it literally takes 5 minutes to make. But if you really feel like bustin’ out your double boiler for a “real” recipe, be my guest. If your dad is a savory breakfast fan, make this for him on Father’s Day!
What to serve with savory French toast
This French toast is great on its own, but here are some ideas if you’re hosting a brunch or feeding a lot of people.
- The Very Best Fruit Salad << all the right fruits, cut to just the right size, in a perfectly sweet glaze
- Homemade Hot Chocolate << oh my gosh can you imagine these two teaming up for Christmas morning??
- Creamed Spinach << Ok this might be another hear me out…but spinach and parmesan are a perfect pairing, I can’t wait to try this!
- Strawberry Spinach Salad << the sweet, bright flavors in this salad are a perfect contrast to the richness of the Hollandaise
What to do with leftovers
French toast keeps in the fridge for 2-3 days in an airtight container. You can reheat them in the oven at 350 for 10 minutes, microwave individual pieces, or even air fry it for a few minutes. The Hollandaise sauce needs to be warmed in a glass bowl set over a pot of simmering water or in a double boiler. You CANNOT and I repeat, cannot reheat it in the microwave. It will split/separate, and you’ll be left with a horrific mess.
French toast also freezes really well! Lay out your leftover pieces on a baking sheet and freeze for 20 minutes before transferring to a ziplock bag or container. Or just toss them in a ziplock like me and if they stick together a little, well, that’s ok. You can reheat them in the oven, microwave, or air fryer straight from frozen. They’ll just take a little longer to warm up. You can’t freeze the Hollandaise sauce (it will separate). Fortunately the blender recipe is fast enough to make some in just a few minutes!
More French toast
Christmas Recipes
Overnight Blueberry French Toast Casserole
The Best Fall Recipes
Caramel Apple Upside Down French Toast Bake
Christmas Recipes
Cream Cheese French Toast Casserole
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Savory Parmesan French Toast with Hollandaise Sauce
Ingredients
For the French toast:
- 4 large eggs
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup Parmesan, grated, plus more for garnish
- 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder
- 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce, I used Tabasco
- black pepper, freshly ground, to taste
- 1 clove garlic, crushed with the side of a knife
- dash salt
- 1 loaf bread, good quality, cut 1-inch thick
- butter, for frying
- flat-leaf parsley, or chives for garnish
For the hollandaise:
- 3 egg yolks
- 1/4 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 dash hot sauce
- 1/2 cup butter
Instructions
For the French Toast:
- Turn your oven on to the warm setting (170 F). Set a cooling rack over a cookie sheet and place in the oven.
- Add eggs, milk, cream, Parmesan, mustard powder, hot sauce, black pepper, garlic, and salt to a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour liquid into a pie plate or an 8×8 dish. Rinse out your blender immediately.
- Slice the bread into 1-inch pieces.
- Heat a griddle or a large skillet to medium-high heat.
- Soak the bread in the egg mixture 1-2 minutes each side.
- Grease the griddle or pan with butter.
- Fry each piece of bread for about 2-3 minutes, until golden brown. Flip and cook the other side for 1-2 minutes or until browned. Continue with all the bread pieces, replenishing butter as necessary.
- Place each finished piece of toast on the cooling rack in the oven.
For the hollandaise:
- In the rinsed-out blender, add the egg yolks, dijon mustard, lemon juice, and hot sauce. Blend until smooth. (It’s not very much liquid, so I tipped the blender on it’s side to help it blend up. See photos.)
- In a small bowl in the microwave, melt butter completely so that it’s very hot.
- Open the top spout of your blender. Turn the blender on low and pour in the hot butter. It should thicken immediately.
- Immediately pour the sauce into a measuring cup or bowl. Place the bowl into another bowl of very hot water. (You want to keep the sauce hot, but if you microwave it, it will curdle.)
- Pour the sauce over each serving. Whisk the sauce if it starts to separate.
- Top each French toast with fresh herbs and extra Parmesan.
this is a breakfast game changer! I’m always deciding between french toast or eggs benedict- no joke. I really just wish brunch restaurants would offer one of each for the poor decision makers like me. Wow, I need to try this ASAP. yum!
Haha, yup men and their games – thank goodness for Pinterest :) And this french toast – it looks out of this world! I love that it’s savory and I can’t stop staring at that gorgeous hollandaise sauce! Love this Karen!
Haha. Tim plays “Clash of Clans” like all the time, and I just don’t understand it. It gets even more intense on the weekends as he says it’s “war days.” I just walk away. Thank goodness for Instagram. I don’t like to play games so at least it keeps me busy while he’s at war ;). Holy moly! I don’t think I’ve ever had savory french toast before! Brilliant. Pinning!
Instagram…strengthening marriages since 2008. (or whenever IG started, lol!!)
Oh Lordy I LOVE this idea! Cheesy bread and eggy sauce???? This wins.
I love the idea of a savory french toast and it looks like you knocked it out of the park with that hollandaise!
Holy moly Karen! Now this is my kind of breakfast! I usually go savory for breakfast, and would totally make this. And I love that you used hollandaise for the “syrup”. Applause applause! You’re a genius : )
HOLY YUM!
Haha! I loved that story about the video game–maybe you shouldn’t come over on geek nights, because that sounds like something my friends and I would totally do. Maybe we could compromise by serving this gorgeous SAVORY French toast, though, it sounds absolutely amazing–thanks for sharing it!
I gifted my mum her first ever smartphone on her birthday and now all she does is play games on that thing!!!!!! I used to love playing Subway Surfers and Skyline Surfers but then the challenges got a tad too challenging and I got bored! hahaha!!!! SAVORY FRENCH TOAST????????? whaaaa?!!!! OMG!!!!! I.WANT.I.WANT.I.WANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That hollandaise sauce looooooks sooo good and so easy to prepare!
Interesting way to make hollandaise sauce. These pictures look amazing. As for games I try to avoid because I don’t need another addiction :)
This savory french toast looks like a total winner! Love the blender hollandaise sauce too. And I’m with you on the video games… very thankful there are no cliffs on IG!
As the president of the savory fan club, I am TOTALLY making this!
WOW……….this is fantastic! Words can’t describe my first look at this dish!!! Thanks for sharing.
Perfect for us! I love French toast, Brian likes savory breakfasts…this is a great idea. He’d be even happier if I topped it with some sautéed veggies…some people have problems :-)
I was “drawn” in when I saw the hollandaise sauce. Very interesting combination. Looks great.