Joe says to me, "We have that stale brioche. I bet it'd make fantastic French toast."
And it would. No betting about it.
But I didn't really want French toast. I was thinking that buttermilk waffles sounded better. Fresh, hot, with melting butter and syrup pooling in the little squares. Sadly, we were (still are!) out of buttermilk, but that sadness didn't last because being buttermilk-less lead me to the idea of "waffling" the brioche.
"Waffling the brioche?" Joe was intrigued.
Let me just say if you have a waffle iron and some stale brioche, I can think of nothing more fun to do than reforming your brioche into a crispy waffle grid. And you know what? It's really good!
Waffle Toast!
Soak slices of stale brioche (or other bread) in an egg and milk mixture until thoroughly soaked, just like for French toast. Heat waffle iron. Carefully place slices in the iron. You may need to use a spatula to keep the slices from falling apart during the transfer. Cook in the waffle iron until brown and crispy (but not dry!). I pressed on the waffle iron lid to make sure that the bread was well imprinted with the waffle grid. Serve with butter and maple syrup.
We used Zingerman's brioche, which by the way is awesome, even if we somehow didn't manage to finish it before part of it got stale. You can use whatever sounds good...
Wow, that sounds completely amazing. I have to see if we still have a waffle iron hanging out somewhere.
Posted by: Tammy Coxen | May 02, 2008 at 09:03 AM
I love the idea. I have some bread I want to try it with. Now, I need to get a waffle iron! :D
Posted by: Dr. Electro | May 02, 2008 at 11:23 AM
I was recently having a buttermilk pancake craving, and my mom told me that you can make buttermilk by adding a tablespoon of cider vinegar to a cup of milk. It totally worked, and the pancakes came out lighter and fluffier than they have when I've used regular store-bought buttermilk. Who knew?
Posted by: Michelle | May 02, 2008 at 06:46 PM
This does indeed sound like an amazing breakfast hybrid. I would add vanilla and raw sugar for even more deliciousness.
Posted by: Red Icculus | May 02, 2008 at 08:30 PM
Belgian Toast? Ingenious!
I tried this in my Beligian waffle iron and they came out AWESOME!
I'm almost considering making this exclusively. I usually insist on only using a yeast batter for Belgian waffles, the recipe I use is too big a production for breakfast. This method is a keeper!
Posted by: pablojr | May 03, 2008 at 03:20 PM
I hate to say this, but I heard a Rachael Ray "quick tip" on network TV yesterday and she did the same thing! Except she used challah instead of brioche. At any rate, I'll hold your version to be the original, as I enjoy your blog way more than what RR sometimes yammers about.
Posted by: Cristin | May 06, 2008 at 05:01 PM
Well, we've never seen her on network TV, so it's a case of independent invention. Unless, of course, she swiped it from us... ;-)
Posted by: Joe, Kitchen Chick's husband | May 06, 2008 at 05:15 PM
After hearing that I'm not alone in discovering the wonder that is waffle toast, I did a quick search. Even the Sun-Maid raisin company has a waffle toast recipe! Using raisin bread, of course. I guess it's one of those ideas that must be spread. A waffle toast meme. Soon the whole world will be eating waffle toast!
Posted by: Kitchen Chick | May 06, 2008 at 10:06 PM
We do this too, and had a Black and Decker waffle iron that was also a sandwich press (on the flat side-the grills came out and could be flipped over) so it expanded to accommodate thick pieces of challah.
We got our recipe and idea for the waffle iron use from Dorie Greenspan's Waffles from Morning to Midnight...a fab cookbook.
The only problem is that the waffle grates were incredibly hard to clean. Any tips on that???
Posted by: Fran | May 11, 2008 at 04:14 PM
Fran: our waffle iron doesn't seem to get dirty. Any bits that stick pop out easily once it's cooked dry or can be wiped out easily by a cloth. So unfortunately, I don't have any good advice for you.
Posted by: Kitchen Chick | May 11, 2008 at 10:01 PM
Shut the front door!
This looks so good and crispy and would surely make my husband squeal with joy. He LOVES waffles and he LOVES french toast. I never thought to combine them into one. :)
Posted by: Janna from Honeyed Hashette | May 30, 2008 at 04:07 PM
Great idea, tried it myself with much success: http://mmmm-donut.blogspot.com/2008/06/waffle-iron-vs-french-toast.html
Posted by: transiit | June 22, 2008 at 09:48 PM
Wipe your hot waffle iron with oil on a paper towel or an expendable cloth. Allow it to smoke - then repeat.
Much like breaking in cast iron item. Now cook a batch! Wipe again with a clean cloth when finished.
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