French Toast with Orange Sauce
French toast with orange sauce is a fabulous twist on French toast. It’s lower in sugar as it’s lightly sweetened with a fresh orange sauce, too.
This recipe is so simple, yet with the unique orange flavored syrup and a surprising ‘crunch’, I know it’s going to be a regular in my breakfast menu rotation instead of plain French toast with maple syrup or even the classic French toast, as it’s made in France.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I received a copy of PANINI -The simple tastes of Italian-style bread by V. Lavenia.
If you are on a healthy, Mediterranean-style diet, this is a way to use your leftover, stale bread, brioche or rolls. It requires no maple syrup for the topping, and provides some protein, too.
An Orange Twist on French Toast
Many of us enjoy a good French toast now and then, but I wanted to share this recipe because it’s really unique to me. Do you enjoy a good crunch with your meals? I know I do, and the crunch to the toast, combined with the orange sauce in place of maple syrup makes for a delightful combination!
This would make a brilliant special occasion breakfast, like a birthday celebration, Christmas morning, or an option for brunch.
My family truly enjoyed this French toast, but one thing we really loved was the surprising crunch from the brown sugar that’s sprinkled on just before cooking!
This is great for people with nut allergies as it gives the same sort of crunch as nuts would, without the nuts! Fabulous idea, and this creation could absolutely be served as dessert, as well as a breakfast or dish.
Cinnamon French Toast with Orange Sauce
slightly adapted from PANINI serves 2
FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW
Ingredients
- milk (or rice milk)
- egg
- cinnamon
- brown sugar
- butter
- stale bread or brioche
Orange Sauce
- juice of oranges
- vanilla extract or vanilla powder
- brown sugar
Place the milk, egg, cinnamon, and 1 tbsp brown sugar in a bowl and beat until well mixed and smooth.
Soak the bread in the mixture (you can do this the night before if you prefer). I love these trays for breading, dipping food in flour and eggs, etc. You’ll see them in my schnitzel recipe post, too.
In a skillet, place the pats of butter over medium heat, then sprinkle the soaked bread with a little brown sugar and place (sugar side down) in the pan; sprinkle the top with more brown sugar (for a crispy toast).
Cook for a few minutes on each side until golden brown.
While the toast is cooking, put the orange juice, vanilla and 2 tbsp brown sugar (more or less, to taste) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and stir until the juice has reduced to a syrup, stirring continuously so that it doesn’t stick. Pour into a small jug.
Drizzle the syrup over the cinnamon toast and serve hot.
Let me know if you made and enjoyed this cinnamon French toast with orange sauce in the comments below!
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French Toast with Orange Sauce
Ingredients
French toast:
- 4 oz milk (or rice milk)
- 1 large egg (preferably organic)
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon (good quality)
- 1 ½ Tbsp brown sugar (save ½ Tbsp for sprinkling)
- 1 Tbsp butter (a few pats-for the pan)
- 4 slices bread (stale-a rustic ciabatta or brioche works well)
Orange Sauce
- juice of 2 oranges (preferably organic)
- ½ tsp vanilla extract (or vanilla powder)
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
Instructions
- Place the milk, egg, cinnamon, and 1 Tbsp of the brown sugar in a bowl and beat until well mixed and smooth.
- Soak the bread in the mixture (you can do this the night before if you prefer).
- In a skillet, place the pats of butter over medium heat, then sprinkle the soaked bread with a little brown sugar and place (sugar side down) in the pan; sprinkle the top with the remaining brown sugar- as needed (for a crispy toast).
- Cook for a few minutes on each side until golden brown.
- While the toast is cooking, put the orange juice, vanilla and the brown sugar (more or less, to taste) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and stir until the juice has reduced to a syrup, stirring continuously so that it doesn't stick.
- Drizzle the syrup over the cinnamon French toast and serve hot.
Notes
- Skip the sauce and top with another choice of syrups, if you like.
Nutrition
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Dear Christina,
Lovely and very inviting dish. I love this cookbook and will have to get it. Love French toast and the panini. Have printed this one out and saved it in my “To Make” folder. Beautiful photo’s as well. Thanks for sharing…have a great weekend…
Dottie :)
Wonderful, Dottie! I know you’ll really enjoy it! You have a great weekend, too! CC
I haven’t had French toast in years. This recipe has motivated me into breakfast action. Looks wonderful.
I usually only make it for my kids as it doesn’t do much for me, but I really loved this version, Cathy! Don’t know why the crunchiness is so appealing to me, but it is! Oh, and that orange sauce! I just may add a little Grand Marnier and top it with some fresh whipped cream next time! Oh wait, this isn’t dessert- maybe I should make it in the evening instead of the morning! :)
That close-up shot of the French toast pierced by the fork prongs is just edibly gorgeous, Christina! What an inspiring looking new Panini cookbook to look into – my favorite cuisine is Italian so I’m anxious to find out more about it. Thanks for sharing the recipe and announcing this new collection of healthful panini recipes. ;)
Thank you, Cristina! I do like that shot myself! If you love Italian food, you’d really get a lot out of this book. It will teach you about the simplicity of good, healthy food and inspire you to make so many different new sandwiches and snacks!
That orange sauce sounds so good!! I love how easy it is to ‘dress up’ french toast and make it extra special :)
This is really making me hungry. I can taste the orange!
Oh this looks so amazing! I definitely need to try it!
This French, err, Italian toast looks divine! The orange sauce sounds delious and so simple!
Haha! True, is it French or Italian? It’s delicious, Cynthia- not overly sweet, so I’m sure it’d pass your taste test! :)
Dear Christine,
grazie mille for your beautiful post and the stunning pictures. I had no doubt about your ability to captivate with words. I’m honored and flattered because this isn’t “just” a review: in this post there is all the passion of those who love to write and cook; there is the knowledge of the true Italian cuisine and culture; the “heart”, typical of us women that we find in the kitchen all the energy to take care of people we love.
I’ll wait for you in Sicily but we hope to see elsewhere in Italy.
Veronica
You are too sweet, Veronica! Yes, we are a little obsessive when it comes to food, but it’s in our blood- we can’t help it! :) Thank you so much and I do hope to meet up with your in Europe! Ciao! xx