Pain perdu

Pain perdu is stale bread soaked in egg and milk, then fried in butter. The name means "lost bread": the dish exists to rescue a loaf that has gone too dry to put on the table.

What it really is

Thick slices of day-old bread are dipped in beaten egg loosened with milk and sweetened, often with vanilla. The bread has to be stale — fresh crumb turns to paste, while dry crumb drinks the mixture and still holds its shape. Brioche gives the richest version; a plain white loaf or a baguette gives the everyday one.

The soak is the whole decision. Too short and the middle stays dry bread; too long and the slice collapses in the pan. The soaked slices go into hot butter and fry until both sides are golden and the inside has set to something between bread and custard.

How it is served

• Warm, straight from the pan, dusted with sugar or icing sugar.
• With stewed fruit, jam, honey or cream.
• As a dessert or an afternoon goûter as often as at breakfast.

How to write it on the menu

• Say which bread: brioche and a plain loaf give very different plates.
• Name what comes with it — the bread itself is simply sweetened.
• Wheat, egg and milk are all structural here; there is no version of the classic without them.

The ingredients, allergens and dietary notes listed here describe a typical recipe. They are not a binding declaration for any particular restaurant: recipes, portion sizes and the products used can differ.