The origin of Pain Perdu
Before we speak about pain perdu for breakfast, lets look at its origin.
Pain perdu means “lost bread” in French. In France, most families buy fresh bread everyday because fresh bread is so much better than left over bread when it is time for lunch or diner, plus bread is a key staple of the French diet and relatively cheap (a third of the price paid in Australia for good bread). In France, left over bread is often used for toast at the next breakfast. There are times there is just too much bread. This is where pain perdu comes in handy. Pain perdu in France is often served as a dessert. The transition onto the breakfast menu is an american input.
I did a post some time ago on breakfast options, have a look HERE for direct access to those recipes.
Many ways with pain perdu
Pain perdu is very versatile. You can make it with any bread or brioche. You can have it thin or thick. Finally, you can serve it with yoghurt and berries, or with brown sugar, or with jam, etc. Some serve it surrounded by milk. As a dessert, it could be served with creme anglaise. There are many options to explore!
The way at home
When I grew up, pain perdu was a dessert that my mother prepared from time to time. She made with older bread, which she cut quite thick. I remember eating it with jam or soft brown sugar.
Here at home, I serve it for breakfast and I make it with sliced brioche. The children like it plain with a few pieces of fruits, I like to add yogurt.
The recipe is really simple (and you can adapt it to your taste), so give it a go, it is HERE.
