Pastries & desserts

Pain perdu

Bread soaked in milk and eggs, then browned until soft inside.

Say it: pan pair-DUE (approximate English pronunciation)

Pain perdu gives slices of bread a second life by soaking them in an egg-and-milk mixture and cooking them until golden. Brioche makes a richer version, while ordinary bread offers a different texture. Sweet toppings vary widely. On US menus it often appears as French toast, so compare the bread and accompaniments rather than the translated name alone.