Name: Crunchy French Toast
Total time: 1 h
Ingredients: 6 cups Cap'n Crunch cereal, crushed coarse; 2 1/2 cups half-and-half; 3 large eggs; 3 tablespoons sugar; 1 tablespoon vanilla extract; 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 (12 by 5-inch) loaf challah , cut into eight 1-inch-thick slices; 1/2 cup vegetable oil

Why This Recipe Works

Most recipes for this crunchy, sweet diner breakfast call for coating slices of French toast in crushed cornflakes before frying them, but we found that another cereal gave better crunch: Cap’n Crunch, of course. Thick pieces of challah stay moist and custardy in the middle when cooked, and making a fortified custard mixture (with half-and-half instead of milk) helps the coating adhere. To simulate the texture of pan-fried French toast without the mess and bother typically involved, we cook the French toast in the oven on a preheated baking sheet with plenty of oil.

Before You Begin

Day-old challah works best. To crush the cereal, pour it into a 1-gallon zipper-lock bag, seal, and use a rolling pin to roll over it several times.

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to middle position, place rimmed baking sheet on rack, and heat oven to 450 degrees. Set wire cooling rack inside second rimmed baking sheet. Place cereal in 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Whisk half-and-half, eggs, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt together in large bowl until combined.

Working with 2 slices of bread at a time, soak in half-and-half mixture until just saturated, about 15 seconds per side. Transfer soaked bread to cereal and press lightly to adhere; transfer to prepared wire rack. Repeat with remaining bread.

Add oil to preheated sheet, tilting to coat evenly. Return sheet to oven and heat until oil is just smoking, about 4 minutes. Carefully remove sheet from oven and arrange bread in even layer on sheet. Bake until exterior is golden brown and crunchy, about 20 minutes, flipping once and rotating sheet halfway through baking. Transfer toast to clean wire cooling rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Serve.