French Toast

Whisk the custard

Beat the eggs in a wide, shallow dish such as a pie plate until no streaks of white remain. Whisk in the milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. The cinnamon will float, so whisk again right before dipping each slice.

Heat the skillet

Set a large nonstick or cast iron skillet over medium heat and let it warm for 2 minutes. Warm the oven to 200F (95C) with a wire rack on a baking sheet inside if you want to hold finished slices.

Soak the bread

Lay a slice of bread in the custard and let it sit for 15 to 20 seconds per side. It should feel heavy and saturated at the edges but still hold its shape when lifted. Slices left too long turn to mush in the pan, and day-old bread soaks up custard better than fresh.

Fry until golden brown

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in the skillet and swirl to coat. Add 2 or 3 soaked slices without crowding. Cook until the underside is deep golden brown and the edges look set, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook until the second side matches and the center springs back when pressed, 2 to 3 minutes more. If the outside browns before the middle sets, lower the heat.

Repeat with the remaining slices

Wipe out any burnt butter, add fresh butter, and cook the rest of the bread. Move finished slices to the rack in the warm oven so they stay crisp instead of steaming on a plate.

Serve warm

Dust with powdered sugar and pass warm maple syrup at the table.

Make ahead. Cooked slices freeze well. Cool them on a rack, freeze flat on a sheet, then bag. Reheat straight from frozen in a toaster or a 350F (175C) oven for about 8 minutes.