Peanut Butter and Jelly French Toast — The Jam-Filled Indulgence for the Rest of Us

Fat Thursday — T┼éusty Czwartek — the Polish pre-Lent tradition of eating as many p─àczki as humanly possible before forty days of restraint. It's the Polish Mardi Gras, except instead of beads and parades, it's fried dough and powdered sugar and no regrets. I made p─àczki. Three dozen. Mrs. Wojcik's recipe, perfected over months of practice: sweet yeast dough enriched with egg yolks and butter, fried in hot oil until golden, filled with rose hip jam (powid┼éa) from the Polish grocery on Mitchell, dusted with powdered sugar. They are pillowy, rich, fragrant, and approximately nine hundred calories each. I ate four before noon and felt no remorse. Brought a dozen to the brewery. Gone in eight minutes. Marcus had two, which for a man who claims to "not really do sweets" is a significant concession. He got powdered sugar on his beard and didn't notice for an hour. Brought a dozen to Mrs. Wojcik. She ate one, examined the cross-section with characteristic intensity, and said, "The filling distribution is even." She looked at me. "Jakub, you could sell these." There it is again. The sell-these energy. Mrs. Wojcik, Mrs. Grabowski, even Marcus in his oblique way — they all keep nudging me toward something commercial. A shop. A market stall. Something. I'm not ready. I know I'm not ready. I'm twenty-two. I've been the assistant brewer for five months. I love the brewery. I'm not leaving. But the nudges are landing somewhere in my brain, in a folder labeled "someday," and the folder is getting full. Brought the last dozen to Mom and Dad's. Mom ate one standing at the kitchen counter and said, "Oh, Jake." Just my name. In that tone that mothers have when they're proud and sad and amazed all at once. Dad ate three and said, "More jam next time," which is Dad's way of saying they were perfect but he wants more jam. Ash Wednesday is this week. Lent begins. In the Kowalski family, Lent means: no meat on Fridays, extra church, and a lot of fish. Babcia was strict about Lenten fasting — no meat, no sweets, no excess. I'm not as strict as Babcia was, but I'll do the Friday fish thing because some traditions are worth keeping even when the person who enforced them is gone.

Not everyone has a Mrs. Wojcik in their corner — or the months of practice it takes to nail even filling distribution in a three-dozen batch of p─àczki. But the spirit of Fat Thursday is something anybody can bring to their kitchen: something sweet, something a little excessive, something dusted in powdered sugar and eaten without a single regret. This Peanut Butter and Jelly French Toast captures that same jam-and-sugar indulgence in a form that doesn’t require a candy thermometer or a deep fryer, just a skillet and a shameless willingness to eat dessert for breakfast. It’s the Fat Thursday energy, democratized.

Peanut Butter and Jelly French Toast

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 25 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 8 slices thick-cut white or brioche bread
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup strawberry, grape, or raspberry jam
• 3 large eggs
• 1/3 cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, divided
• Powdered sugar, for serving
• Maple syrup, optional

Instructions

1. Build the sandwiches. Spread peanut butter evenly on 4 slices of bread and jam on the remaining 4 slices. Press pairs together firmly to form 4 filled sandwiches.
2. Make the egg custard. In a wide, shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla extract, and cinnamon until fully combined.
3. Soak the sandwiches. Working one at a time, dip each sandwich into the egg mixture, letting each side soak for 15–20 seconds so the custard absorbs into the bread without making it soggy.
4. Cook the first batch. Melt 1/2 tablespoon of butter in a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat. Add 2 sandwiches and cook 2–3 minutes per side, until deep golden brown and the bread is cooked through. Adjust heat as needed to avoid scorching.
5. Cook the second batch. Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter and repeat with the remaining 2 sandwiches.
6. Serve. Transfer to plates, dust generously with powdered sugar, and serve immediately with maple syrup on the side if desired.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 390 | Protein: 14g | Fat: 17g | Carbs: 46g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 390mg