Swiss Fotzelschnitten — Stale Bread, Egg and Cinnamon Sugar in 15 Minutes
Yvonne Ammann VegetarianCut day-old bread into finger-thick slices, dip briefly in a mix of milk and egg, and fry in butter for 2 to 3 minutes a side until golden. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, serve with apple sauce or compote. Fresh bread turns mushy — it has to be stale.
Fotzelschnitten are what grandmothers made from stale bread before anyone said 'French toast'. Sunday's Zopf, Friday's loaf — anything too hard to eat is soaked in milk and egg and fried in butter. With cinnamon sugar and apple sauce it is a sweet supper children reliably eat, and it is ready in a quarter of an hour.
Ingredients
- 8 slices Bread (day-old, Zopf or white bread)
- 3 pieces Eggs
- 2 dl Milk
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- 1 pinch Salt
- 3 tbsp Butter
Cinnamon sugar
- 3 tbsp Sugar
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
To serve
- 400 g Apple sauce
Method
- 1
Slice the bread
Cut the bread into finger-thick slices — thicker than for toast, so it stays soft inside and crisps outside.
- 2
Egg mixture
Whisk the eggs with the milk, 1 tbsp sugar and the salt in a deep plate. Mix the cinnamon and sugar in a second plate.
- 3
Soak
Lay the slices in the egg mixture for 10 to 20 seconds a side. Very hard bread longer, softer bread shorter — they should be moist through but not dripping.
- 4
Fry
Let the butter foam in a large pan over medium heat. Fry the slices 2 to 3 minutes a side until golden. Two batches, with fresh butter in between.
- 5
Serve
Turn in the cinnamon sugar while hot or sprinkle it over. Serve with apple sauce, compote or berries — and a milky coffee if there are no children at the table.
Tips
- The savoury version: leave out the sugar and cinnamon, soak the bread in egg mixture seasoned with salt, pepper and nutmeg, and cover with grated cheese in the pan until it melts. Salad alongside.
- Zopf makes the best Fotzelschnitten — sweet, soft, buttery. Buy Zopf on Sunday and Tuesday's supper is sorted.
- For a crowd: lay the soaked slices on a buttered tray and bake at 200 °C for 15 minutes, turning halfway. Less crisp, but all ready at once.
What can I substitute?
Lactose-free. The cream makes up for oat drink's lower fat — otherwise the slices come out drier.
Plums in autumn, berries in summer. Maple syrup turns it into French toast — not bad, but less Swiss.
Soak sandwich bread only 5 seconds. Halve croissants and fry cut side first. Dark bread is heartier — suits the savoury version.
Nutrition per serving
Estimated from the ingredients.
Frequently asked questions
Why do my Fotzelschnitten go soggy?
Fresh bread, soaked too long, or too little heat. Day-old bread absorbs just right; fresh falls apart. 10 to 20 seconds a side is enough, and the butter must be foaming before the slice goes in.
What is the difference between Fotzelschnitten and French toast?
Hardly any — it is the same idea, in Switzerland with cinnamon sugar and apple sauce instead of maple syrup. 'Fotzel' is an old word for a scrap, because it used up bread ends. Arme Ritter in Germany.
Can I make Fotzelschnitten ahead?
The egg mixture yes, the slices no — once fried they must go straight to the plate. Cold, they turn leathery. Leftovers can be crisped up in the toaster.
Are Fotzelschnitten a supper or a dessert?
In Swiss families a sweet supper, like pancakes or semolina pudding — two to three slices per person with apple sauce. As a dessert, one slice with vanilla ice cream is enough.
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