Whole Wheat French Toast with Crushed Strawberries and Labneh
Two Shoes Kitchen · Tree of Life Hollow · Surry, Virginia
Headnote
This is a Sunday breakfast that earns itself. The bread was already made, which meant our only real job this morning is to not overthink what was in front of us: good bread, good eggs, good fruit, and two dairy cultures that did more for this plate than any spice we could reach for.
The labneh is the move. Greek yogurt is rich and tangy, but labneh has been strained long enough to become something closer to fresh cheese – dense, cool, a little sour. Spooned cold onto hot toast, it melts slightly at the edges and holds in the center, which gives you two textures in one bite. The strawberries go on warm, not cooked – just crushed with a little maple syrup and a pinch of salt to pull their juice. This is not a complicated dish, but it is a very good one.
Ingredients
Serves 2 adults and one toddler – 4 to 5 thick slices, depending on your loaf – likely with leftovers
For the custard
- 3 large eggs
- 3 tbsp whole milk or cream
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of fine salt
- Pinch of cinnamon – optional; use it if the loaf is very wheaty and dense
For the toast
- 4–5 thick slices whole wheat bread machine loaf, cut ¾ to 1 inch thick
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, plus more if needed
For the strawberries
- 200g fresh strawberries, hulled
- 2 tbsp good maple syrup, plus more for the table
- ¼ tsp rose water
- Small pinch of fine salt
To serve
- 4–6 tbsp labneh, cold from the fridge
- Additional maple syrup at the table
- Flaky salt for finishing – Maldon or similar
Method
1. Crush the strawberries first – they need the time
Hull the berries and cut them in halves or quarters depending on size. Put them in a small bowl and pour over the maple syrup, rose water, and the pinch of salt. Use a fork to crush roughly half of them – you want a mix of crushed fruit that releases its juice and intact pieces that give you something to bite into. Set the bowl aside and leave it alone. The salt and the syrup are pulling juice out of the berries, and by the time the toast is done you’ll have something closer to a loose compote than a pile of fruit.
2. Make the custard
Crack the eggs into a wide, shallow bowl – wide enough to lay a slice of bread flat. Add the milk, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon if using. Whisk until fully combined and the yolks are completely incorporated. You should see no streaks of white.
3. Soak the bread properly – this is not a quick dip
Lay a slice of bread in the custard and press it gently. You want the bread to absorb, not just coat. Leave it 45 seconds to a minute per side for bread this dense. When you pick it up, it should feel noticeably heavier than when it went in. If it tears when you lift it, your custard is too deep and the bread is over-soaked – next slice, lighter hand.
4. Get the pan right before the bread goes in
Set a heavy skillet – cast iron if you have it – over medium heat. Add the butter and let it melt, then watch it. You’re waiting for the foam to subside and the butter to begin showing the first hints of color and a smell of toasted nuts. This is the moment: not fully browned, but past pale. That’s when the bread goes in. If your pan runs hot and the butter threatens to burn, pull it off the heat for thirty seconds and try again.
5. Cook the toast without rushing it
Lay the soaked bread in the pan – don’t crowd it; work in batches. Cook without touching it for 2 to 3 minutes until the underside is deep golden brown and the edges look set. Flip once. Another 2 minutes on the second side. The whole wheat crumb is forgiving and will hold; don’t rush it. Add a small additional pat of butter to the pan between batches.
6. Plate and finish
Lay the toast on warm plates. Spoon the labneh directly onto the hot toast – a generous tablespoon or two per slice – and let it sit for a moment. It will soften slightly where it touches the bread and stay cool and dense in the center. Spoon the crushed strawberries and all their syrupy juice over the top. Finish with a small pinch of flaky salt over the whole plate. Put the maple syrup on the table for anyone who wants more.
Notes
For the toddler: Pull her slice from the custard a little earlier – thirty seconds a side rather than a full minute – and cook it through a touch more than you would yours. Less eggy in the center, which toddlers often prefer. Spoon the labneh on her plate separately, or skip it if she’s suspicious of it this morning; the crushed strawberries with a drizzle of maple syrup are enough. Skip the flaky salt finish on her portion.
On the strawberries: If you have an extra five minutes, macerate them with the maple syrup the night before and refrigerate. Overnight they become something genuinely syrupy and deep – more jamlike, darker in color, the juice running all the way through the bowl. Worth the foresight when you think of it.
On substitutions: Full-fat Greek yogurt works if you’re short on labneh – it will be looser but the tang is there and it’s almost certainly already on the counter.
The stretch: Brown the butter fully before the bread goes in, and add a tablespoon of bourbon to the custard. We’d recommend this on the weekend rather than a Tuesday morning, but we won’t tell you how to live.