Chances are, your family probably loves French toast. Chances also are, you don’t love cooking it on a regular basis. Breaking out the griddle, whipping up a custard and soaking eight different bread slices isn’t practical for busy mornings. That’s where these make-ahead, bake-later French toast sticks shine!
All the prep for these French toast sticks happens on one day, then the sticks hang out in the freezer until you’re ready to bake them and enjoy. This is a fun breakfast idea for kids that’s easy on the adults—the ultimate win-win!
Ingredients for French Toast Sticks
- Texas toast: A good French toast recipe uses thick, soft bread, and Texas toast fits the bill. Just make sure to dry it out a bit before starting this recipe.
- Eggs: The first ingredient in making a rich custard is eggs. Be sure to beat them really well, with zero signs of separation.
- Milk: 2% milk cuts back on the calories a bit. If that’s not a huge deal to you, make the custard even richer with whole milk, heavy whipping cream or buttermilk.
- Cinnamon: Nothing gets the house out of bed quite like the smell of warm cinnamon wafting through the air. If you’re an avid baker, get to know the other types of cinnamon to add nuanced flavor to your baked goods.
- Cornflakes: These are optional! They’ll give the sticks more texture and crunch.
- Maple syrup: If you’re a house that loves pancakes, waffles and French toast regularly, invest in the best maple syrup you can find. “Pancake syrup” is usually filled with corn syrup and preservatives, but good, real maple syrup only has one ingredient listed on the label (you guessed it: maple syrup).
Directions
Step 1: Slice the bread
Using a long, serrated knife, cut each piece of bread into thirds. Line the bread sticks up in an ungreased 13×9-inch dish.
Step 2: Create the custard
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon until very well combined. Pour the mixture evenly over the sticks. Soak them in the mixture for two minutes, turning over after one minute.
Editor’s Tip: Make sure the eggs are completely beaten into the wet ingredients, or you’ll find bits of scrambled eggs in your French toast sticks. An immersion blender does a great job of blending these ingredients together.
Step 3: Coat in cornflakes (optional)
This part is totally optional, but we love the texture it creates. Place the cornflake crumbs in a small bowl, and add each stick in one by one, coating all sides of the bread.
Step 4: Freeze and store
Place the sticks in a greased 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Freeze the sticks until they’re firm, about 45 minutes. Freezing the sticks individually before combining them in a container ensures they don’t stick together.
Transfer the frozen sticks to an airtight freezer container or freezer-safe bag. Store them in the freezer until you’re ready to cook, up to two or three months.
Editor’s Tip: If you want to bake your French toast sticks right away, you can totally forgo this step and head straight to the baking directions.
Step 5: Bake and serve
To bake your frozen French toast sticks, preheat the oven to 425°F. Arrange frozen French toast sticks on a greased baking sheet. Bake the sticks for eight minutes, then turn them over. Continue baking until the sticks are golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes.
Sprinkle the sticks with confectioners’ sugar if desired, and serve with maple syrup. Hazelnut whipped cream takes these above and beyond—trust us.
Recipe Variations
- Play with spice: Cinnamon is a classic, and other complementary fall spices like ginger, nutmeg, cardamom and allspice pair perfectly. A little goes a long way, so don’t be too heavy-handed.
- Try a different bread: No need to stick to Texas Toast. If there’s a day-old loaf of challah, brioche or French bread in your home, cut it into matchsticks for this recipe. Anything slightly sweet, soft and dried out for a day works well here. You can even use day-old blueberry muffins for French toast!
- Dunk in a dipping sauce: The shape of these French toast sticks is perfect for dunking! There’s a whole world of dipping sauces beyond just maple syrup. Try Nutella, salted caramel sauce, butter pecan syrup or another homemade syrup of your choice.
How to Store French Toast Sticks
To store leftover cooked French toast sticks, cool them to room temperature, then place them in an airtight container. They can be refrigerated for up to three days and reheated in the oven or microwave until warmed through again.
French Toast Sticks Tips
How else can I cook these French toast sticks?
If you have an air fryer, you’re in luck! Follow the air-frying directions in our air-fryer French toast sticks recipe for a quicker-than-the-oven breakfast.
What do I serve with French toast sticks?
This dish has sweet and starchy flavor profiles covered, so think about serving these French toast sticks with a salty breakfast protein like bacon or sausages. We love these with a tea or coffee too, especially if it’s a copycat version of our favorite coffee shop drinks.
