Today I am actually adhering to my COVID-19 game plan by making Rye French Toast. Given the pantry I have to date, I was researching the perfect french toast recipe. As a result, I ended up choosing the recipe from Food52. What I did was I cut the serving size in half. So this recipe here is for one person. But before I share this solo meal, I want to explore the history of this staple breakfast dish.

After reviewing sources of where the French toast originated, the earliest documentation of the dish goes back to the Roman empire (approximately the year 1 A.D.) which was called “Pan Dulcis”. This version is bread soaked in milk with or without egg prior to frying it in oil or butter.

Fifteen centuries later, the English and later the French reinvented and renamed this staple dish “Pain Perdu” meaning “lost bread” because this version utilizes stale bread and soaking it in milk and eggs then frying. The interpretation is losing the bread and transforming it into a complete dish comprised of protein (egg), calcium (milk) and carbohydrates (bread).

As I mention stale bread, this bread is preferred in Food52’s recipe, which I did not have. What I had was Pepperidge Farm Soft Jewish Rye Bread plus two eggs and olive oil.

If you have any questions or comments regarding this dish or ways to improve this dish, feel free to comment on this post. I am finally gaining some momentum back, maybe COVID-19 hysteria and being ordered to stay home has rejuvenated my interest and passion for food. Stay tuned for more….