Use slightly stale bread for making French Toast because the lightly hardened texture of stale bread is best for soaking up the custard without going soggy and creates the perfect creamy & custardy texture for the final dish.
Do not skim on soaking time for the bread slices to soak up the custard. If it’s not properly soaked through, then you only get a custard coating on the outside while the inside would very much still be 'bread'. On the other hand, if you let it soak for too long, the bread will get all soggy instead.
The ideal bread texture after soaking should be soft and sponge-like but not falling apart.
You can totally substitute the babka with a different type of bread - try Brioche, Challah, Japanese Shokupan, Milk Bread, etc.
Regardless of the bread type, the ‘stale bread rule’ applies. Though do note that the soaking times may differ with each different type of bread as each bread’s density & texture are different.
Cook your french toast over medium heat. Too hot, the exterior will start to burn while the interior remains uncooked. Not hot enough, it wouldn’t be able to crisp up and will turn out soggy.
Air Fryer Tips
Preheat your air fryer. Similarly to pan-frying, you want the french toast to start cooking straight away to get that crispy texture on the outside. That’s why you’d want to preheat your air fryer to the right temperature before putting in the french toast to cook.
Flip your french toast slices halfway through. This helps the french toast to cook more evenly.
Don’t forget to brush oil over the french toast. This helps to prevent the french toast from burning on the outside and to give it a luscious golden colour!