“The smell of good bread baking, like the sound of lightly flowing water, is indescribable in its evocation of innocence and delight…” | M. F. K. Fisher, The Art of Eating

By Brooke A. Brown

The Lovely Miss S. and I have the phone number for the Charleston Bread Company written down on a bright pink Post-It note that’s stuck to the side of our white refrigerator. This note serves two purposes: (1) It provides easy access to the digits, and (2) acts as a constant reminder to call and reserve a loaf or two… especially on Saturdays.

We always order a loaf of the Whole Wheat Multi-Grain – which is hearty, healthy and makes for great toast – and then we typically freestyle it, sometimes going for the incredible Cinnamon-Raisin loaf or the Charleston Sourdough. This weekend, in addition to our Multi-Grain, we went nuts and ordered a Brioche.

A classic French bread, Brioche has a high egg and butter content that creates a rich and tender cake-like crumb. Its crust is dark, golden and flaky thanks to a pre- and post-proofing egg wash application. Perhaps closer to a pastry than a traditional loaf of bread, this particular one was destined – considering its lineage and high-butter content – to become French toast.

With such a quality piece of bakery goodness, I wanted to keep the ingredients to a minimum. To begin, I preheated the oven to 195 degrees. I then preheated a large fry pan over medium heat (the dial was on 5) on the stovetop. With everything warming up, it was time to prepare the custard.

I whisked two eggs together with 3/4 of a cup of heavy cream and one tablespoon of cinnamon. You could also add a splash of vanilla, but I opted not to this go around. Into the hot fry pan went a pat of butter. As it hissed and bubbled, I dunked the first slice of four into the custard mixture. After letting the excess drain back into the bowl, I placed the slice into the hot pan. The smell of cinnamon instantly punched me in the nose. I did not retaliate.

Having cooked for maybe two minutes (or until browned), I flipped the slice to finish cooking. Once done on both sides, I placed the piece on a cookie sheet in the oven to remain warm while the others went through the same dunk-drain-fry-flip process. All in all, I spent roughly 20 minutes preparing the meal.

Let it be noted that I’m a breakfast fiend. From omelets to waffles, cold cereal to oatmeal, Pop-Tarts to pancakes, biscuits and gravy to… well, you get the idea. When it comes to French toast, I’ve had it as croissants stuffed with caramelized bananas and toasted walnuts. I’ve had the biscuit-battered and deep fried variety from “the soul of Washington, D.C.,” Georgia Brown’s (you must try her brunch). So, I kid you not, dear reader, when I say that this French toast – served with 100% pure maple syrup and a side of bacon – was the best I’ve ever had. And it couldn’t have happened without the Brioche from Charleston Bread Company.

IF YOU GO: Charleston Bread Company, 601 Capitol Street, Charleston, W.Va., 304-720-3022

This entry was posted on Monday, September 17th, 2007 at 2:48 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.