Last week, I grabbed some wraps off my supermarket’s shelf without realising they were labelled “protein flatbreads” (they did not, in fact, have much protein in them at all).

The marketing tool can lead customers to pay more for products which have more protein in them than usual, Euromonitor says. 

So it’s a good thing Mary Berry’s quietly thrifty dinner recipes (the chef only ever buys three oils for her home, and isn’t above a sausage casserole) are here to provide a truly protein-packed slice of bread for my midweek lunches. 

The former Great British Bake-Off judge shared a savoury version of French toast in Mary Berry Cook And Share, and it’s packed with fibre-rich avocado and protein-heavy ham.

What’s the recipe?

Mary actually assembles the sandwich ― which contains avocado, pickle or relish, butter, ham, and cheese ― first. 

Then, she presses the sides of the sandwich firmly together to seal them before dipping the parcel in a shallow, wide dish that contains beaten eggs. 

Turn the sandwich over after a minute or so to ensure both of the (ideally granary) slices absorb the protein, Mary advises. 

Then, heat some sunflower oil in a pan and fry the sandwich, uncut, for three to four minutes on both sides. 

Once it’s golden-brown “and the filling has just melted,” you can cut the sandwich in half and serve it. 

You can even assemble the sandwich an hour before cooking it, Mary shared. But you’ll need to wait until closer to the fry time before coating it in egg.

Redditors have tried the hack before ― and loved it

Mary’s not the only one to experiment with the breakfast classic. In a Reddit post shared to r/Cooking, site user papyru22 shared that they “made savoury salty French toast today I will never make sweet French toast again.” 

The version they used included red onion, green chilli, turmeric, coriander, and milk. 

It doesn’t have the fillings Mary Berry’s offers, but u/Beachwalkforever commented underneath the Reddit post: “I often made cheese sandwiches and dunked/soaked them in the egg mix, and fried these. A favourite with my kiddies when we were on a tight budget.” 

Definitely better than those dubious wraps, eh...