Horton’s Crunchy Cereal-Crusted French Toast Recipe

This recipe is somewhat like completing a marathon… but how many marathons finish with a delightful serving of French toast? If you're not ready for an intense baking session — and trust me, this one is quite the workout! — consider this an intriguing peek behind the curtain at how we create the fantastic French toast served at the Green Eggs and Ham Breakfast with The Cat in the Hat and Friends! (Or feel free to swap in some pre-made ingredients. No one will judge!)

Preparation Details:

Servings: 10
Total Time: 30 Minutes
Difficulty: 3/5

INGREDIENTS LIST:

FOR PREPARING THE BRIOCHE DOUGH:

• 3 lb, 3 oz of flour
• 18 whole eggs
• 1 oz of salt
• 6 oz of sugar
• 2 oz of dry yeast
• 5 lb of butter solids

FOR THE FRENCH TOAST MIXTURE:

• 8 oz of flour
• 3 lb of eggs
• 1 lb of sugar
• 2 tsp of ground cinnamon
• 2 liters of milk

THICKER BATTER VERSION (ideal for brushing):

• 1½ lb of flour
• 2 lb of eggs
• 1 lb of sugar
• 2 tsp of cinnamon powder
• 2 cups of milk
• 12 oz of Fruit Loops

MARSHMALLOW (makes 1 tray):

• 1½ lb of sugar
• 6 oz of liquid glucose
• 350 mL of water
• 1 lb of egg whites
• 5 oz of gelatin
• 300 mL of water

FOR GARNISHING: 

• Some fresh strawberries
• The marshmallows!

INSTRUCTIONS: 

LET'S PREPARE THE BRIOCHE:

1. Start by combining the dry ingredients — flour, salt, sugar, and dry yeast.
2. Incorporate the fresh eggs.
3. Blend everything together until you form a dough! Continue mixing until it no longer sticks to the sides of the mixing bowl.
4. Add softened butter and keep mixing until the dough is smooth.
5. Divide the brioche dough into individual bread loaves, using 10 ounces for each loaf in your baking pans.

NOW LET'S PREPARE THE FRENCH TOAST BATTER:

1. Now that you have freshly-baked brioche… enjoy the delightful aroma filling your home!
2. Slice your brioche into one-inch-wide pieces.
3. Whip up a French toast batter by mixing together flour, eggs, sugar, cinnamon powder, and milk.
4. Time to batter up! Dip each side of your brioche slices into the batter.
5. Add a drizzle of softened butter and oil to the bread, then cook over medium heat until both sides are golden brown.

LET’S PREPARE ANOTHER BATCH OF FRENCH TOAST BATTER. BUT THIS TIME…

1. Yes, we’re making more batter, but this one will be thicker. Delicious!
2. Mix together all the ingredients — flour, eggs, sugar, cinnamon powder, and milk. Just set the Fruit Loops aside for now.
3. Now, grab the cereal! Crush half of it by hand, leaving the other half intact, and combine everything together.
4. Brush your French toast with the thick batter, which should be sticky. Use the stickiness to coat the French toast with the cereal.
5. Prepare a sheet tray and arrange the pieces of French toast on it.
6. Pass it through a CTX — that’s a commercial conveyor-belt oven, similar to those used for pizza — set to 500° F (top and bottom). The process should take about 7 minutes.

EVER TRIED MAKING MARSHMALLOWS? HERE’S HOW:

1. Dissolve the gelatin in 600 mL of water and melt it over a double boiler. You have a double boiler, right? (If not, just look up how to create a makeshift one online. It’s quite simple!)
2. In a separate pot, combine the sugar, water, and glucose. Boil this mixture until it reaches a soft ball stage. Once warm, stir in the gelatin.
3. Whip the egg whites, then pour in the syrup to create meringue. (We won’t go into detail here — the Internet has plenty of resources… or just use store-bought marshmallows. No shame in that!)
4. Keep the mixer running until the mixture cools down.
5. Lightly dust a tray with powdered sugar.
6. Pour a thin layer of the mixture into the prepared tray.

LET’S PREPARE THESE INGREDIENTS TO BE GARNISH-WORTHY:

1. Using cookie cutter #2, slice your strawberries into round pieces.
2. Utilize the same cookie cutter to slice the marshmallows into rounds.
3. Thread them onto a food-safe skewer. Each skewer should feature four strawberry slices and three marshmallow slices. Notice that hat… it looks familiar!
4. Plate the French toast and, of course, serve it with syrup.