My love affair with rediscovering french toast continues. Last week it was Apple French Toast, a pile of french toast dripping with self saucing stewed apple syrup. The week before it was Parmesan French Toast (insanely delicious!). This week it’s french toast sticks – eat it with your fingers (tick), tastes like cinnamon doughnuts but a whole lot healthier (double tick)!
Cinnamon French Toast Sticks
I’m loving coming up with fresh takes on french toast! Growing up I always adored french toast but it was always the classic version drowning in syrup. When I was in uni, I discovered how good it was to pile bacon onto it, and yes, still drown it in maple syrup. I used to call this a “Heart Attack On A Plate”. This was before the day when “sweet and salty” became all the rage and everyone I made this for were dubious until they took their first mouthful – then they were converted for life.
I digress. Back to these French Toast Sticks. Two big things it has going for it:
1. Food you eat with your fingers. Need I say anymore?
2. Tastes like cinnamon doughnuts. I can’t admit to any of my friends that I secretly love cinnamon doughnuts, deep fried puffy goodness dusted with sugar. It’s on my list of what I call “Dirty Foods”, food that is oh-so-bad-for-you-I-know-I-shouldn’t-eat-but-secretly-love. Throughout this blog there is no doubt that I will be disclosing many of my favourite Dirty Foods. You will probably be horrified. Or maybe not. Maybe a lot more people than I think secretly love KFC Popcorn Chicken.
The key to french toast sticks that are stiff enough to pick up without flopping is to use stale bread and to use a block loaf you can cut yourself into thick slices (the thicker the sticks, the less they flop). This is the way I like my french toast sticks, but if you don’t have a stale block loaf, it still tastes just as delicious using pre-sliced sandwich bread, it will just sag a bit when you pick it up.
I really do recommend using stale bread where possible for french toast – any french toast. It makes a huge difference because fresh bread soaks up too much egg mixture – even if you dunk it in really quickly – and you’ll end up with french toast that is soggy on the inside.
This recipe only takes about 15 minutes to make, and is super easy. French Toast you can eat with your fingers – something that no kid, big and small, can possibly resist! – Nagi x
Cute spins on French Toast
-
Monte Cristo (Ham Cheese French Toast Sandwich)
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And also – Classic French Toast!
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Cinnamon French Toast Sticks
Ingredients
- 4 thick slices white bread, preferably stale (Note 1)
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup milk
- Salt
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon powder
- 3 tbsp butter
- Maple syrup to serve (optional)
Instructions
- Remove crust of each slice, then cut each into 3 equal thick batons.
- Combine the eggs, milk and a pinch of salt in a bowl large enough to roll the bread sticks in.
- Combine the cinnamon and sugar on a plate.
- Melt 2 tbsp of the butter in a large pan over medium high heat.
- Roll the sticks in the egg mixture quickly (do not soak them), shake off excess and place in pan. Cook in 2 batches.
- Turn to cook each side until golden.
- Immediately transfer to the plate with the cinnamon sugar and roll to coat. It's important to do this quickly while they are hot straight out of the pan so it sticks.
- Melt remaining butter and cook the remaining french toast sticks.
- Serve immediately with maple syrup to dunk the sticks in.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
More Tasty French Toast Recipes
I just made these. They were soo good! I made a huge batch so i can freeze and reheat for my kids breakfast in the morning. Easy and yummy!!
So glad to hear that Chrissy! You’ve made my morning 🙂 Would be interested to hear what you think of them after freezing, I never thought to do that. I find that when you leave it out for more than a few hours they sweat so you can’t see the sugar and cinnamon. But I never tried freezing it!
Do you think the sticks will be stiff if the bread is partially frozen instead of stale?
Hi Michelle, I don’t think that will work unfortunately, once cooked it will go floppy again. What you could try though is toasting the bread in the toaster. Toast it until it is quite well toasted so it is stiff when cut up, then follow the directions of the recipe. Dip it in the egg mixture very quickly (less egg mixture = stiffer sticks), and make sure the pan is really hot so you cook it quickly too. Hope that works!
I tried this recipe this morning and my five year old loved it he had 5 sticks all to himself. Thanks for sharing, I’m sure this will be requested again
Hi Tamicka, I’m so glad to hear that! Great recipe for kids – they really do taste like cinnamon doughnuts!
I love finger food! Thanks for sharing this yummy “good morning” tasty treat at #theWeekendSocial. Hope to see you again later this week. Pinned! 🙂
Thanks KC! Any morning starting with these certainly is a “good morning”!!
Hi Nagi,
I find your blog via Foodgakwer. This toast stick looks so great. I am watermouthing when I see the photo when pouring the syrup.
Hi Elaine, thanks for dropping by! My mouth waters whenever I see this photo too….no matter what time of the day it is, no matter how full I am!
Oh my god, what beautiful BIG sticks of french toast. The first question that popped into my head when I saw the pic was ‘HOW does she get them so thick and not soggy?’. You answered it! Read my mind 😉 I won’t use maple syrup with this one cause it’s good enough on its own.