Giada De Laurentiis’ Brilliant Trick Has Forever Changed How I Make French Toast

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I love olive oil and basically never use any other cooking oil in my home. Replacing the traditional butter with extra-virgin olive oil took my brain to a place of whole-new French toast possibilities. I just had to try it for myself. Here’s how it went.

How to Make Giada’s Olive Oil French Toast

My Honest Review of Giada’s Olive Oil French Toast

I’m a fan! While I was immediately intrigued by this little innovation, I must admit I was also skeptical. Butter is a pretty key ingredient in French toast. It brings richness and fat, and besides, what’s breakfast without butter? But olive oil is also pretty rich tasting, and though it doesn’t have the creamy flavor that dairy brings, a good quality olive oil brings its own robust, floral flavor to the party.

I am a noted savory breakfast person who will take an egg over a pancake (or French toast) any day. Which is why this take on French toast worked so well for me. I associate olive oil with savory flavors, so while this French toast wasn’t specifically a savory version ( I used a traditional sweetened custard and challah bread, which is lightly sweet), it did walk the line between sweet and savory in a great way.

Using the olive oil as a replacement for maple syrup as the “finishing syrup” solidified the whole dish for me. You get the hit of sugar from the custard and the berries, but not the super sticky sweetness of maple syrup. Maple syrup and butter make great bedfellows, but my new breakfast flavor combo is berries and EVOO. Maybe I’ll try it on pancakes next …