Whether you are making this recipe for a weekend brunch or as an easy weekday breakfast, you are in for a delightful treat! Made with a rich egg custard flavored with vanilla and cinnamon that’s soaked up into the bread, these toast sticks are always a hit. They are soft and fluffy on the inside but perfectly golden and crisp on the outside. Plus, you can skip the forks and use your hands to dip them directly into some syrup!
If you’ve got a crowd coming over for brunch, surprise everyone with a delicious spread by pairing up these French toast sticks with my homemade English Muffins, Waffles, Pancakes, and Beignets!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE
Bread – for this recipe, you’ll want to use rich, white bread. You can use brioche, challah, white sandwich bread, crusty bread, or even sourdough bread. It’s best when the bread is a tiny bit stale, so it’s great if you’ve got leftover bread lying around.
Milk — whole milk is ideal, but you can use 2% or skim milk if that’s what you’ve got on hand. Keep in mind that whole milk will result in a richer custard than skim milk.
HOW TO MAKE FRENCH TOAST STICKS
1. Cut each bread slice into 1-inch-wide strips.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt until well combined.
3. Dip the bread strips into the egg mixture, turning to coat, until lightly saturated.
4. Place the bread strips in a hot skillet with melted butter. Cook until golden brown.
PRO TIPS FOR MAKING THIS RECIPE
- You can add in different spices instead of cinnamon, such as pumpkin spice or apple pie spice, for a more seasonal touch.
- Instead of dusting with powdered sugar after the sticks come off the skillet, try coating them in cinnamon sugar to change things up. You have to do this while the bread is still warm so the sugar mixture will stick.
- Fresh bread is not ideal for this recipe as it soaks up too much egg mixture, making the sticks soggy on the inside. No one wants limp bread.
- Make sure to whisk the batter thoroughly before dipping, or you might end up with some strands of egg whites on the bread.
- Avoid high heat when cooking the bread. If your pan is too hot, you might end up with scorched toast. Keep the pan on medium heat to ensure the toast comes out golden brown.
- Ensure the skillet is pre-heated as a cold skillet will give your sticks “feet” as the custard spreads out. If the pan is hot when the French toast goes in, the custard can cook immediately.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How do I store leftovers?
I rarely have leftovers, as these mini French toasts disappear fast! But if you end up with a couple of leftover sticks, they last in the refrigeraor for 3-4 days. You can reheat them in a pan, air fryer, or microwave.
How do I freeze this?
If you want to make extra to freeze for later, allow the bread to cool to room temperature before transferring to a lined sheet pan to flash freeze. Once frozen, transfer the sticks of French toast to a freezer-friendly bag or container. When ready to enjoy, you can reheat them from frozen in the microwave or toaster oven until warmed through.
What can I serve with it?
There are so many ways to serve this recipe! Here are some of my favorite toppings and sides to go with them:
- Maple syrup
- Butter
- Powdered sugar — don’t have any on hand? Here’s how to make homemade powdered sugar.
- Whipped cream
- Fresh berries such as strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries
- Caramelized bananas
- Jam or honey spread on top
- Crispy bacon
- Scrambled eggs
- Yogurt
- Pancakes
- Waffles
- Muffins
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this French Toast Sticks recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
French Toast Sticks
Equipment
- Large bowl
- Whisk
- Large skillet
Ingredients
- 6 thick slices white bread
- 4 eggs
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 3 Tbsp white sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅛ tsp kosher salt
- 2 tbsp butter
Optional toppings
- butter
- maple syrup
- confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
- Cut each bread slice into 1-inch-wide strips.
- In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt until well combined.
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. When butter is foamy, working in batches, dip bread strips into the egg mixture, turning to coat, until lightly saturated. Place in the hot skillet.
- Cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook until the other side is golden brown, about 3 more minutes. Continue with the remaining bread strips and egg mixture. Add more butter to the pan as needed.
- Serve hot with additional butter and maple syrup, and dust with confectioners’ sugar, if desired.
Notes
- You can add in different spices instead of cinnamon, such as pumpkin spice or apple pie spice, for a more seasonal touch.
- Instead of dusting with powdered sugar after the sticks come off the skillet, try coating them in cinnamon sugar to change things up. You have to do this while the bread is still warm so the sugar mixture will stick.
- Fresh bread is not ideal for this recipe as it soaks up too much egg mixture, making the sticks soggy on the inside. No one wants limp bread.
- Make sure to whisk the batter thoroughly before dipping, or you might end up with some strands of egg whites on the bread.
- Avoid high heat when cooking the bread. If your pan is too hot, you might end up with scorched toast. Keep the pan on medium heat to ensure the toast comes out golden brown.
- Ensure the skillet is pre-heated as a cold skillet will give your sticks “feet” as the custard spreads out. If the pan is hot when the French toast goes in, the custard can cook immediately.
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