Having a leftover pain au chocolat or chocolatine is not a regular occurrence in our home but sometimes I do miscalculate and the odd two or three morning treats end up hardening in the bread drawer. As we all know, these pastries, if left uneaten, can dry up and harden within 24 hours of being made. I have caught a few family members trying to microwave these chocolate indulgences, the following morning, which they know is an act of treason in my kitchen.
I have often contemplated the various usages of old , dry pain au chocolats. Either French toast or bread pudding are the most effective recipes to use up this bakery item that is often begging for a facelift is not eaten immediately.
I have a basic French toast recipe that pretty much works for any bread. The key is to let the egg mixture fully absorb into the dry bread and to serve with real maple syrup and not that fake stuff!
This is a wonderful brunch option if all you have are stale pieces of pain au chocolat or any other bread in the kitchen and a few eggs and milk in the fridge. A little creativity can go a long way.
Ingredients
- 2 pains au chocolat (chocolatines)
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup cream
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- dash of cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon orange zest (if you have any on hand)
- 2 knobs of butter
Instructions
- Lay the pain au chocolat down and slice horizontally through the pastry, creating two halves.
- In a flat glass dish, beat together eggs then add remaining ingredients.
- Dip the bread pieces into the egg mixture.
- Allow the pieces to sit a few minutes until the egg is well soak into the bread. Turn over the pieces and soak until fully saturated.
- Heat up a skillet and add a knob of butter.
- Once the butter is melted, fry the dipped bread until golden, flip and do the same on the other side.
- Place cooked pieces in heated oven (160C or 300F) until ready to serve with maple syrup.
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