Freedom Toast

I usually work at 5 am so making (a substantial) breakfast is really a treat for me. Merry Christmas to ME!

I’ve been tinkering with a French Freedom toast recipe for a few weeks, off and on. I could never quite get it right, mostly because I wanted to develop this one without TOO much outside influence. Actually, secretly, the reason why only one slice of bread is pictured here is because I only had one slice left, from all my previous failed attempts. On my way to culinary fame for sure!

The bread is really what makes a good Freedom toast. One of the best pieces of advice I’ve gotten from Isa is that you really need to use a thick, stale bread. A good plan is to drink a few margaritas (no more than 3, if they’re strong — otherwise you’ll foil your whole operation), watch My Best Friend’s Wedding, and when you’re about to go to bed and you get the late-night, slightly-drunk munchies, break out that French baguette from your pantry. Slather a generous heap of Earth Balance on the end, and gnaw on that sucker for a few minutes. Make sure to leave it sitting out on the counter (you are drunk, after all) and pass out on the couch. When you wake up in the morning to the sound of the My Best Friend’s Wedding menu music (a reggae version of “I Saw a Little Prayer for You,” in case you were wondering) playing on loop, rest assured that you are about to enjoy a feast of queens that even Julia Roberts’ hairstylist could not have planned better.

Or whatever method floats your boat. This time, I used up the last of my pumpkin spice bread from earlier this week, so it was already getting nice and seasoned. So to speak.

In case you have never prepared Freedom toast, here’s the basic, traditional method: slather slices of thick bread in some sort of raw egg mixture, fry those suckers and sprinkle powdered sugar on top. But considering that it is 2012, and we can certainly come up with more innovative, animal-free solutions, try this batter instead. Here’s what you’ll need:

1/4 cup melted Earth Balance (OH! This is probably a good time to mention that this recipe is decidedly not good for you. Ok. Glad we talked about this.)
3/4 cup of almond milk (or your preferred non-dairy milk)
1/4 cup coconut flour (coconut flour is sort of a fancy ingredient and I only had some on hand because my roommate eats on a paleo diet. And since I hate elitism I suppose it’s also fine to use all-purpose flour here too. If you do, add 1 tsp of sugar to your mix)
1 tbl cornstarch

Simple as pie - mix the dry ingredients first. Add the melted Earth Balance, then slowly mix in the almond milk until your batter is thick but still a little bit runny. Heat up your (non-stick) skillet, throw in some Earth Balance (you ARE nursing a hangover, after all), and soak your slices in the batter while your EB starts to heat up. When it gets a little sizzly, throw those suckers in your frying pan, and fry on each side for about 4 minutes a piece, or until golden brown.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar and cinnamon, drizzle in maple syrup. Serve with fresh coffee and plop yourself on the couch for a victory lap of My Best Friend’s Wedding. The menu is still looping that reggae song, after all.