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French

Pain perdu

Contains egg (no meat or fish)

'Lost bread': thick slices of stale bread soaked in sweetened eggy milk and fried in butter until golden outside and custardy within.

Pain perdu is a French egg dish, ready in about 25 minutes and made with egg and crusty bread / baguette. It serves 4 and is rated beginner to cook.

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Mouth-watering French toast topped with fresh berries and icing sugar, perfect for breakfast.
Photo: Zola PALMER / Pexels · Pexels License
Prep
10 min
Cook
15 min
Total
25 min
Serves
4
Level
Beginner
Calories
382

Ingredients

4 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Whisk (opens in a new tab) the eggs (opens in a new tab), milk (opens in a new tab), sugar (opens in a new tab), vanilla (opens in a new tab), cinnamon (opens in a new tab) and salt in a shallow dish.

    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Soak the bread slices in the mixture for about 30 seconds per side, until saturated but not falling apart.

    • 4 min

  3. Step 3

    Melt some of the butter (opens in a new tab) in a frying pan over medium heat and fry the slices in batches for 2–3 minutes per side until deep golden.

    Food safety: Cook until the centre is hot and the egg has set.

  4. Step 4

    Serve dusted with icing sugar (opens in a new tab), with berries.

      A finished dish being plated
      How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

    About this dish

    Origin
    Not attributed to one place · Origin disputedEgg-soaked fried bread is old and widespread across Europe; the French name is the best-known.Also popular in France, United States, United Kingdom
    Dish
    Breakfast · Brunch · Dessert · Egg dishes · Sweets & confectionery
    Cooking method
    Pan-fried
    Taste
    sweet, buttery, mild
    Diet
    Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients
    All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No nut ingredients · Pork-free · Beef-free
    With the listed swaps: Ovo-vegetarian, Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
    Good for
    Child-friendly · Budget-friendly · Uses leftovers
    Cook more with
    Egg · Crusty bread / baguette · Milk · Sugar · Vanilla extract · Butter
    Techniques
    Pan-frying

    Allergens

    • Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom milk, butter
    • Contains: Eggsfrom egg
    • Contains: Wheatfrom crusty bread / baguette
    • Contains: Glutenfrom crusty bread / baguette
    • May contain: Sesamefrom crusty bread / baguette

    Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

    Nutrition

    382 kcal per serving

    Calculated

    1 serving ≈ 189 g · recipe makes 4

    Where the energy comes from

    • Protein 15%
    • Carbohydrate 48%
    • Fat 37%
    Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
    Energy382 kcal202 kcal
    Protein14.3 g7.6 g
    Carbohydrate46.1 g24.3 g
    Net carbohydrate44.6 g23.5 g
    Sugars13 g6.9 g
    Added sugars6.3 g3.3 g
    Fibre1.5 g0.8 g
    Fat15.5 g8.2 g
    Saturated fat7.9 g4.2 g
    Trans fat——
    Cholesterol167 mg88 mg
    Sodium606 mg320 mg
    Salt equivalent1.5 g0.8 g
    Vitamins & minerals per serving
    Potassium
    223 mg
    Calcium
    133 mg
    Iron
    3.4 mg
    Magnesium
    34 mg
    Vitamin A (RAE)
    158 µg
    Vitamin C
    0 mg
    Vitamin D
    1.6 µg
    Vitamin B12
    0.6 µg
    Folate (DFE)
    140 µg

    How these numbers were made

    • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
    • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
    • Optional ingredients are not included: cinnamon, icing sugar, raspberries.
    • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
    • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

    Good to know

    Tips

    • Stale bread soaks up the custard without collapsing.

    Common mistakes

    • Frying over high heat, which burns the outside while the custardy centre stays raw.

    Serve with

    • Serve with maple syrup, honey or a spoonful of crème fraîche.

    Storage

    • Best eaten immediately.

    Variations

    • Torrijas (Spain): The Spanish Easter version, soaked in milk or wine, fried in olive oil and coated in cinnamon sugar or honey.
    • Rabanadas (Portugal): Portugal's Christmas version, with cinnamon sugar or a port syrup.

    Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

    Recipe DNA

    How this dish is built

    Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

    What the dish is built around

    Main ingredient

    Used in steps 1, 2, 3, 4

    Reviews & corrections

    Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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