Re: Whoa now.
Well, I left out a small comment at the beginning of the recipe:
To vary the flavor of the batter, add three-quarters teaspoon ground cinnamon or one-half teaspoon ground nutmeg with the dry ingredients, or substitute almond extract for the vanilla.
If you use the Pepperidge Farm bread I mentioned, I wouldn’t suggest making those changes, though if you have a nice challah available I’m sure those would be tasty additions.

Here is why I love Cooks Illustrated…
(These quotes are taken from the discussion prior to the recipe)
Never seen flour added before, wow that would keep it from getting quite as soggy…
The butter in the batter is a bother (slow day at work *grin*) I’ve never heard of that either, do you have to melt the butter first?
“At first we liked one tablespoon of flour to help get the coating extra crisp and not greasy, but in later testings we noted that this made the bread somewhat soggy inside; yet when we went up to two tablespoons the bread became tough. So we started trying more flour – but with butter added to keep the bread from toughening. And after a few more tests, we finally had a fabulous French toast: A batter with one-third cup of clour balanced by two tablespoons of melted butter gets the outside of the bread evenly crisped and brown and lets just enough moisture through to the interior to keep it custardlike and not heavy.”
I’d advise against tongs and a spatula, just makes more to wash. Simply use your well washed fingers, and flip with the pan
Uh, yeah. I’m using a ten-pound, 14-inch cast iron skillet. I think I’ll stick to the tongs and spatula, just to save on the medical bills.