This savoury French toast with miso and Parmesan is so easy to make and is a flavour-packed umami bomb. Add an egg to make a delicious breakfast or brunch.

I wanted to pack as much umami flavour as I could into this French toast recipe and what better way than with a good dash of miso paste and a handful of freshly grated Parmesan cheese? I mean, yes!

I tend to think of French toast along sweet lines, but there is no confusion here. Miso is one of my favourite ingredients and I’ve been putting it into everything from bolognese to mac and cheese, to ice cream. It’s got so much X factor in terms of taste and doesn’t take over the flavour party.

How to make French toast

When making French toast you need to consider a few things.

The Bread:

It needs to be white, fairly firm, and can have a slightly crispy crust. You don’t want it to fall apart after it’s soaked up the egg and milk and turned into a soggy mess. I discovered a little trick. If you lightly toast your bread when it’s fresh, it gives it a better texture and more firmness to hold all the eggs. This is also the best bread for sweet French toast.

The egg-milk ratio:

This is the next big thing to consider with French toast. I don’t like it to be too eggy or if it’s too milky it doesn’t work either. I have found that a good ratio is 3 large eggs to one cup of milk. It’s the same ratio that works well with a sweet recipe.

Flavour:

For this savoury French toast rendition, I have gone with one tablespoon of miso paste which gives it a very subtle flavour. You hardly. know it’s there. I ground in some black pepper but left out the salt. If you felt you needed more, a little sprinkle of sea salt flakes on the finished dish would do the trick.

I added very finely grated Parmesan (fresh of course) to the slices just before I added them to the pan of bubbling butter. It’s easier this way. I sprinkled it over the slice, quickly flipped it onto the pan surface and then sprinkled the top side with more cheese. If you were making sweet French toast, this is the time you add the vanilla or any other flavour component like orange zest.

Time of the soak:

It’s also important not to soak the bread for too long or too little, but with this, you are going to have to figure out your best length. I just watch and see when I think it has sucked up enough. It will also depend on the bread you are using. The softer the bread the less time is required to soak. Toasting the bread before really gives it more structure and slows down the absorption slightly.

I always fry French toast in butter. I think this is obvious to everyone, and I have served these delicious savoury toast slices with baby spinach leaves and a scattering of micro herb leaves which is lovely. A few slices of crispy bacon and a soft poached egg would not go amiss here either.

Perfect for a decadent breakfast or brunch.

My best breakfast recipes

My favourite French toast recipes:

Baked French toast with apples, cinnamon & raisins

Hot cross bun French toast waffles

French toast sandwich with cream cheese, peaches & honey

Prep Time:5

Cook Time:15

Ingredients

3 eggs
1 cup milk
1 T miso paste white
9 – 10 slices of bread lightly toasted
3 T butter
6 T finely grated Parmesan cheese
Black pepper
butter for frying

Instructions

Beat the eggs and miso until light and fluffy.
Add the milk and continue to beat. Add a few grinds of black pepper.
Lay the bread in a shallow dish and pour over the egg milk mixture. I normally do three at a time.
Melt the butter in a large non-stick frying pan until bubbling.
Lift hte bread out the egg and sprinkle one side with cheese. Flip this, cheesy side down into the pan and repeat with another 2 or so slices. Sprinkle the top uncooked side with a little more Parmesan cheese and flip when ready.
Fry on both sides until golden brown.