This Croissant Pain Perdu recipe was first published on the 27th July of 2016.

If you are after a quick breakfast idea and the best way to reuse stale croissants, this croissant Pain Perdu Recipe is the one you must try and make yours!

This recipe is a take on the usual ‘pain perdu’ aka french toast, which uses stale bread to make a delicious treat that you surely can’t pass! What I love most about this recipe is how versatile it is and easy to make your own. Change toppings or how to soak your croissant or bread and make your very own croissant Pain Perdu.

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What is a croissant pain perdu?

This easy recipe is a speciality of French cuisine. ‘Pain perdu’ means literally ‘lost bread’, what we would consider stale bread. A dish that during poor times used to save any leftover bread, but that with new ingredients would make something not so tasty on its own a true new treat.

This amazing no-waste recipe is famous worldwide and is also commonly known as French toast. In this recipe though, you will swap stale bread for a stale croissant and enjoy one of the quickest and most delicious breakfast or afternoon pick-me-up recipes that you can ever try made in a few minutes. It might not be for the faintest of hearts, but its tastiness will surely bring you to try it! (Wikipedia)

What ingredients do I need for this croissant pain perdu recipe?

For this easy recipe, you will need two old croissants – a couple of days old, one egg, milk and butter. Then you will need caster sugar and cinnamon. And lastly, for your toppings, you will need fresh raspberries and icing sugar.

Can I substitute anything in this pain perdu recipe?

You absolutely can! You can substitute the followings in this recipe:

• croissant: if you want to follow the traditional ‘pain perdu’ recipe, you can swap it for stale bread or any other stale pastry you have at home;
• milk: you can use any plant-based milk you prefer or just cows milk, the amount you use won’t affect too much on the taste;
• butter: same as milk, you can use plant-based butter or margarine;
• caster sugar: some recipes call for brown sugar, which would add some caramel notes to the croissant and we are all for it;
• cinnamon: if you are not a fan, you can swap it for vanilla and still achieve a sweet treat;
• raspberries and icing sugar: toppings are honestly endless in this recipe! We also added a drizzle of maple syrup, but you could use any fruits you like or any berries, cream or spread can work amazingly with this croissant pain perdu recipe.

What toppings can I use for this croissant pain perdu?

• fresh fruits: strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries work well, or you could grill some peaches or apricots. Anything you like can work well, it will either make it sweeter or have some acidity to balance your croissant pain perdu recipe;
• curds: drizzle of peach curd, clementine curd or any fruit curds you love could work so well on top;
• jams: add a spoonful of your favourite jam on top, like this apricot jam, would work wonders;
• ice cream: add a dollop of your favourite ice cream, like this lavender lemon ice cream or this strawberry sorbet, on top while it’s still hot, it will soak even more in the croissant and make it even better;
• creams & custard: whether it’s Nutella or pistachio cream, plain custard or maybe you love just plain heavy cream or whipped cream on top;
• nuts: any kind of nuts, entire ones or roughly chopped, can add a lot of texture to this recipe;
• Maple syrup, honey or butter: classics that will never get old and will let you enjoy the cinnamon taste even more, or try this gingerbread syrup to spice it up;
• savoury toppings: in some parts of the world, the classic French toast is served with savoury toppings like cheese and meats.

How do I make the croissant pain perdu recipe?

Start off by slicing the croissants length-wise. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg with the caster sugar, milk and cinnamon.

In a nonstick saucepan or griddle, over medium heat, melt the butter. In the meantime, dunk the croissant slices in the egg mix, place them in the pan and sprinkle them with extra sugar while cooking.

Let them go golden brown on both sides and repeat with the rest of the slices if you couldn’t fit all of them. Serve hot with icing sugar and your topping of choice. Enjoy your croissant pain perdu!