To Prepare:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Crack the eggs into a large bowl and whisk well. Add half and half or milk, honey or syrup, vanilla, salt, and any spices you're using and whisk to combine. Place your sliced bread into a baking dish large enough to hold them comfortably in a single layer. Or, alternatively, split it evenly between two smaller dishes. Pour over your wet mixture and allow to soak for about 5 minutes before flipping and allowing to soak another 5 minutes. This step is so important! One of my biggest food peeves is French toast that is still dry in the middle. Let it soak. Just walk away and let it soak. It will drink up the liquid, and you will be rewarded for your patience. I promise.

When your bread is done soaking, prepare a large griddle or skillet by heating about two tablespoons of butter with a tablespoon of vegetable oil over medium-low heat. Carefully lift your soaked bread, allowing excess to drip off, and place on pre-heated griddle. Cook slowly allowing to brown for about 7 minutes on each side. Flip as needed to get it evenly browned. Do this in batches if you don't have a large griddle.

When it is nice and brown on both sides, remove to a sheet tray and bake for about 5-10 minutes. This last step is my dad's signature move, and it just ensures the bread is cooked all the way through, as well as making it puff up or soufflé a little like my dad always said. And it guarantees that while you scurry around getting the final breakfast preparations done, your French Toast will be nice and hot when you're ready to sit down and slather it with butter and syrup. My family's favorite accompaniment is sausage, but bacon is obviously great, too. Whatever you serve it with will be perfect.