Eggy bread - how come I’ve never made it before?

I was raised on it, as we my children - when Daddy wasn't around as he hates it. My first call from my son when he went to Uni. as a mature student was 'Muuum, how do I do the French eggy toast you used to do'? So I taught him over the phone 😉

Made it for DD's breakfast on Saturday with brioche rolls😋😋

We call it French Toast, and it is served with maple syrup and fruit. Usually a breakfast or brunch item, but we will have it for dinner on occasion.

Callistemon21

merlotgran

You haven’t lived until you’ve had cheesy eggy bread, a Royal Navy speciality. A local café has it on their specials board every day. It’s a winner!

DH used to mention Hammy Eggy Cheesey (or Cheesey Hammy Eggy) quite often!
I've never made it for him 😁

A woman after me own heart Calli. When we first married Himself used to tell me about his mother’s huge pan of cabbage and ribs which would be simmering on the back hob - she had to feed 8 every night in that household. He rhapsodised about it on and off for a couple of years ... it fell on stony ground.
🤣

My kids loved eggy toast if they were feeling poorly.

Eggy bready in our house growing up.

Always thin, ready-sliced white bread, well soaked in an egg and milk mixture, then fried in very hot bacon fat.
Suspect it was a way of stretching an egg.
Bloomin' tasty too 😋

It sounds like cholesterol on a plate!

But just the thing when you came off watch.

DH used to mention Hammy Eggy Cheesey (or Cheesey Hammy Eggy) quite often!
I've never made it for him 😁

Oh yes! I forgot the ham! 😂

merlotgran

You haven’t lived until you’ve had cheesy eggy bread, a Royal Navy speciality. A local café has it on their specials board every day. It’s a winner!

DH used to mention Hammy Eggy Cheesey (or Cheesey Hammy Eggy) quite often!
I've never made it for him 😁

merlotgran that sounds yummy. Just needs some bacon and mushrooms!

Fleurpepper

cinnamon caster sugar

I might try this next time I do brunch for the DGCs. After all it’s just a deconstructed doughnut.

She says, trying to convince herself. 🤔😄

You haven’t lived until you’ve had cheesy eggy bread, a Royal Navy speciality. A local café has it on their specials board every day. It’s a winner!

I was taught it when I was au pairing in my teens. I had joined up with some American Girl Scouts locally
- this was in Mannheim) and we made it at camp.

I was told only to dip the bread in the egg very quickly before cooking and on no account to let it soak in. Since then I have seen recipes and videos that say you should let the egg soak in and saturate the bread. I still don't know which is best.

Probably the Americans did it their way because they have a horror of raw egg ( understandable the way they treat eggs).

And yes, in German, they are Arme Ritter (poor knights) and sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon they are "rostige Ritter" - rusty knights!

I’ve also seen something described as ‘Irish Dips’ which were fingers of bread dipped in egg and fried in bacon fat. It was mentioned in one of those school-mums compilation cookery books back in the 80s. The writer said her mother had made them a lot during WW2 .
I wouldn’t have thought you’d be able to save much bacon fat during WW2, but there was always the Black Market I suppose…

It seems the poor knights have been travelling around in various disguises.

We always called it French toast - made simply with beaten eggs and some pepper .
Absolutely delicious with mushrooms and bacon .

I grew up in Sweden and when bread was getting a bit stale we often had 'Fattiga Riddare'. This translates as 'Poor Knights'. It was served as a pudding with sugar and cinnamon.
I've had in Germany too: 'Arme Ritter.'

And Welsh rarebit is not cheese on toast !

Welsh rarebit has cheese, eggs and possibly beer (or milk) and Worcestershire sauce and goes on top of the toast.

Welsh rarebit savoury, eggy bread sweet, with cinnamon- for us.

Up here French toast is always savoury. None of your southern softy sweet eggy nonsense for us!

Eggy bread is savoury
French toast is (usually) sweet

I love cinnamon but not in savoury dishes.

Love French toast, they add cinnamon on the continent….yuck!

Oldbat1

We called it French Toast in Scotland. Husband is English and it is eggy bread.

Agree on the french toast in Scotland. For dipped slices of bread only. If I made jam pieces and dipped and fried them for the children we called them “poor knights of St George” or just poor knights. I don’t know why!

cinnamon caster sugar