Cooks would have added eggs for additional moisture and protein. Medieval recipes for "french toast" also suggest this meal was enjoyed by the wealthy. Cook books at this time were written by and for the wealthy.
These recipes used white bread (the very finest, most expensive bread available at the time) with the crusts cut off, something a poor, hungry person would be unlikely to do.
French Toast with caramelized banana
Actually recipes for "French toast" can be traced to Ancient Roman times.
French toast with caramelized banana
4 slices of bread
2 large eggs
1/4 cup whip cream
1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
1 tablespoon castor sugar
1 tablespoon orange zest - grated
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons butter
For Caramelizeds
1/2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 bananas, slice into 2 pieces
French Toast Batter
1/ Combine eggs, whip cream, sugar, orange juice, orange zest, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl and whisk together.
2/ Cut each slice of bread into 2 pieces. Dip each bread slice into batter allowing to soak for about 30 seconds.
3/ Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
4/ Add 2 bread slices and grill slightly until egg mixture is sealed to bread, approximately 30 seconds each side. Dip the bread back in egg mixture, coating each side.
5/ Place the bread back in skillet and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side.
6/ Repeat with remaining slices.
Caramelized Bananas
1/ Combine 1/2 tablespoons butter and brown sugar in a non stick pan over medium-high heat. Stir until sugar dissolves and bubbles.
2/ Add lemon juice using low heat, simmering until mixture thickens, about 3 to 4 minutes.
3/ Add bananas and cook until glazed and caramelized, about 1 minute.
4/ Serve the caramelized banana with the french toast.
ORIGIN OF BREAD
12,000 years ago, primitive people made flat breads by mixing flour and water and placing these "cakes" in the sun to bake. Later, bread was baked on heated rocks or in the hot ashes of a fire.
It was the Egyptians who are credited with using a 'starter' of wild yeast from the air that was kept and mixed with other dough and baked to create a leavened product. Legend has it that a slave in a royal Egyptian household forgot about some dough he had set aside. When he returned, it had doubled in size. Trying to hide the mistake, the dough was punched down furiously and baked. The result was a lighter bread than anyone had ever tasted.
Ontario wheat is grown by over 17,000 producers on one of the most diverse wheat growing landscapes in the world. Over our 100 year history of commercial wheat production in Canada, Ontario has evolved to become the highest quality soft wheat region in North America.
Over the last ten years, Ontario wheat has experienced a transformation from a predominantly rotational crop to one of importance in producers’ commercial crop planning. This has created the annual export availability of upwards of one million tonnes of one of Canada’s best kept secrets - Ontario wheat.
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Canadian Cheese Bread
2 tsp sugar
400 ml water, warm
1 envelope (8 g) active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp/11 mL)
70 ml oil
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce
1 large egg, beaten ( Reserved some for egg wash )
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
540gm ( 4 cups ) bread flour
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded ( Divide into 4 equal part )
Topping:
Shredded cheddar cheese
Mozzarella cheese
1/ Dissolve sugar in warm water in large bowl. Sprinkle in yeast. Let stand 10 minutes, then stir well.
2/ Beat in oil, salt, Tabasco and egg until smoothly blended. Add Parmesan cheese.
3/ Stir in 2 cups bread flour, mix well. Add the balance flour until mixture becomes too stiff to stir and cleans sides of bowl. Turn out onto lightly floured board.
4/ Knead dough, adding more flour as necessary to make a soft dough. If too dry add a little water. Continue kneading until dough is smooth, elastic and no longer sticky (about 10 minutes).
5/ Place in lightly greased bowl. Turn dough to grease top. Cover with greased waxed paper or tea towel. 6/ Let it rise in warm place until doubled (45 minutes).
7/ Punch down. Turn out onto lightly floured board, divide the dough into 2 equal portions. Rest 10 mins. Roll out one portion of the dough into rectangular shape about 1/2 inch thick, spread 1 part of the cheddar cheese on top the roll out dough.
8/ Fold into three, bring down one third of the dough from the top towards the centre.
9/ Make a half turn so that the open edges on both ends face you and the first fold is at your right. Rest 10 mins, roll out and spread the second part cheddar cheese. Repeat the folding in step 8 and 9. Rest 10 mins.
10/ Roll out into a rectangular shape about 1/2 inch thick and roll like swiss roll. Put in a well greased pan.
Note: Grease pan very well with butter as cheese tends to stick when it melts.
11/ Brush with egg wash and sprinkle cheddar cheese and mozzarella cheese.
12/ Bake at 190 deg c for 35 to 40 mins.
13/ Remove the bread from the loaf pan and cool on wire rack.
14/ For checking done-ness of the bread using the old reliable thump test. This method has been used since goodness knows when, definitely since before ready access to probe thermometers. Using oven mitts or pot holders, take the loaf out of the oven and hold it top side down. With the bottom side up and using your index and middle fingers, firmly tap the loaf. If the resulting thud sounds like tapping on a hollow tree, then the bread is done.
QUICK NOTE:
1/ To make mini Cheese Loaves: Prepare as above, dividing dough into 6 portions.
2/ Shape and bake in 5" x 2 1/2" x 2" loaf pans. Reduce rising and baking time by approximately 10 minutes.
3/ Mix in 250 g cooked and chopped bacon or ham with the cheese.
4/ Add chopped green onions if desired.
Have a nice day, Cheers!
