Step 1:

I pour the milk into a big bowl, crack in the eggs, add sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Then I whisk until it looks blended and smells like something I want to eat. Slightly foamy is fine. If there are tiny cinnamon clumps, I don't panic about it.

Step 2 :

I heat a pan over medium heat-not high. This matters. I drop in a bit of butter and let it melt completely.

Step 3 :

I dip one slice of bread into the mixture, press it down gently, flip it, then pull it out. Don't let it sit there forever or it'll fall apart. Learned that the hard way.

This is look like bread after a dipping but still holding together because pan warming up.

Step 4 :

Onto the pan it goes. I wait until the bottom looks golden, usually about a minute, then flip. Another minute or so, and it's done. I repeat with the rest, adding more butter when the pan looks dry.

I usually serve it right away because it's best hot. Cold French toast is... fine, but not great.