There’s actually a million different types of fried bread. What I ate in Arizona for example was a very different thing to this recipe, which I’ve heard people call “French Toast”. I’ve always associated French Toast with bread buttered on both sides and fried though… Ah well.

In the “tough times” we’re experiencing here in New Zealand I thought that a low-cost, but nutritious option needed to be posted. And this is a recipe my grandfather learned during the Depression which was, you know, actual tough times. Not just a debt-fuelled binge coming to an end…

Anyhow, this recipe is incredibly simple, and focuses on using stuff you might have around the house already. We used to go stay at the Grandparents place when we were kids, and the old boy would cook this for us while the old girl slept in. It was a time when we got to spend time with him alone, and cooking this always makes me think of him.

And food should be like that.

So if you’re needing comfort food for any reason, this one might be for you.

To the right I have some white bread that we haven’t been using so it’s going stale, some eggs from out of the fridge, and some milk.

It’s that simple. All you’ll need otherwise is salt, a small amount of butter (use olive oil if that’s too expensive, probably better for you anyway!), and a frying pan.

Slice your stale bread. Crack one egg per person you’re cooking for into a shallow bowl.

Add milk. Not too much milk, because it will make the bread soggy. Gently mix the whole lot together. It’s nice to have a little white/yellow variety in the texture of the bread.

Once you’ve got the milk and eggs in, dip the bread into the mixture, one side at a time. If the bread is too soggy to turn over easy without breaking up, you’ve left it in the liquid too long.

Put a little butter in the pan, and melt it on a middling heat. Not too hot to make the butter really jump, but hot enough for it to sizzle.

Just brown the bread in the pan. It should be warm in the middle when you serve it. When it’s brown on one side, flip it over, repeat.

The great thing about this dish is that you don’t need to serve it in any fancy way. I always salt liberally, then just tuck in. Watch out though, if it’s out of the pan, it’s hot!

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