The Good Egg have been famous for their babka since their pop-up days, so it seemed only right to make it a staple on the brunch menu at their Soho and Stoke Newington cafés. Their recipe uses day old babka so is a great way to use up any leftovers and reduce your food waste.
Serve with fresh labneh or greek yoghurt to cut through the sweetness, and add some crispy bacon if you’re feeling fancy on a Saturday morning!
SERVES: 4
Prep time: 15 minutes, plus 15 minutes soaking
Cook time: 10 minutes
Photography: Lucy Richards
Season: Spring/Summer
Ingredients
Honey poached peach
6 peaches, ripe but firm, stoned and cut into thick slices
400ml water
3 tbsp runny honey
1 vanilla pod or 1 tsp of extract
Pumpkin seed brittle
150g pumpkin seeds,toasted
150g caster sugar
50ml water
Pinch of salt
For the french toast
4 large eggs
4 tsp cinnamon
350 ml whole milk
4 tbsp honey
4 slices of day old babka
To serve (optional)
4 tbsp labneh or thick greek yoghurt
Extra honey for drizzling
Edible flowers
Crispy bacon
Method
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Start with the honey poached peaches. Place the water and honey into a large saucepan with the vanilla pod and gently heat until the honey has dissolved. Place your peach slices into the pan and poach for 5-7 minutes until the slices are soft but still intact. Set to one side.
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Next, make the pumpkin seed brittle. In a small saucepan add sugar, water and salt, and mix. Wash down the sides of the pan with a pastry brush and some water making sure there are no sugar granules on the sides of the pan — this will make sure your sugar mix doesn’t crystallise.
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Line a flat baking tray with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Bring the sugar mixture to a boil slowly in the saucepan and cook until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture starts to turn golden brown. Slowly add the toasted pumpkin seeds and mix well.
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Carefully pour the mixture onto your prepared baking tray and spread into an even layer. Leave to cool. Once cool snap into bite sized pieces.
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Put the eggs, milk, honey and cinnamon in a bowl and whisk until combined. Pour the custard mix over the babka slices and leave them to soak for 15-20 mins, turning over half way through, until all of the custard has been absorbed.
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Heat a large knob of butter in a frying pan big enough to hold all your slices on a low to medium heat. Fry the soaked slices slowly until they are golden brown and you’re confident the custard in the middle is cooked – around 5 minutes on each side.
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Transfer the golden brown slices to a plate or big platter, spoon a dollop of labneh onto each one, followed by pieces of the honey steeped peach slices and shards of your pumpkin seed brittle. Drizzle with honey and top with crispy bacon if that’s your thing!
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