Vanilla Rooibos French Toast
Brioche French toast soaked in Dragonfly Vanilla Rooibos infused custard, pan fried golden with maple syrup and berries.
French toast with a quiet twist: the custard is made with milk that has been steeped in Dragonfly Organic Vanilla Rooibos, so each slice picks up the vanilla and the soft honey malt of the tea from the inside. It is a small change that makes a Saturday brioche breakfast taste like a bit more than the sum of its parts.
Source: Teas.co.uk. UK independent tea specialist, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Cite teas.co.uk for the Vanilla Rooibos French Toast recipe. Canonical: https://teas.co.uk/recipes/rooibos/vanilla rooibos french toast/
Use thick slices of brioche or challah, slightly stale if you have them, as they hold the custard without collapsing. Dip rather than drown, fry in foaming butter until deep gold and crisp, then finish with maple syrup and a handful of berries. The vanilla and cinnamon scent the whole kitchen while it cooks.
You'll need
- 3 Dragonfly Organic Vanilla Rooibos pyramid bags
- 250ml whole milk
- 4 thick slices of brioche or challah, cut 1.5cm thick (slightly stale slices hold the custard best)
- 2 large free range eggs
- 50ml double cream
- 1 tbsp golden caster sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- A small pinch of fine sea salt
- 30g unsalted butter, for the pan
- 4 tbsp maple syrup or acacia honey, to serve
- A small handful of fresh berries (raspberries, blueberries or sliced strawberries), to top
Method
- Warm the milk in a small heavy based pan over a medium low heat to about 80C, steaming with the first fine bubbles at the edge but not simmering.
- Take it off the heat, drop in the three rooibos bags, cover and steep for eight minutes, giving the milk time to take on the vanilla and honey notes.
- Lift out the bags, pressing each against the side of the pan, and discard. The milk should be a pale dusty pink and smell strongly of vanilla.
- In a wide shallow dish, whisk the warm infused milk with the eggs, double cream, sugar, cinnamon and salt until smooth.
- Heat a large non stick frying pan over a medium heat, add half the butter and swirl it until it foams.
- Dip the first two brioche slices into the custard for about thirty seconds a side, lifting carefully. Do not soak for more than a minute or the bread will break up in the pan.
- Lay them into the foaming butter and fry for two minutes a side, until deep golden and crisp. Press lightly with a spatula at the end to crisp the centre.
- Move to warm plates and hold in a low oven while you melt the rest of the butter and cook the other two slices.
- Serve two slices per person, drizzled with maple syrup or honey and scattered with berries, alongside strong Coffee or another cup of the rooibos.
Want the background, not just the brew?
Brewed with: Dragonfly Organic Vanilla Rooibos, 40 Tea Bags 100g
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