Learn how to make the perfect French Toast with this simple and classic breakfast recipe! My French Toast recipe is thick slices of bread, dipped in sweet custard and fried in butter. Add some maple syrup and you’ve just created the best breakfast ever.
Sweet breakfasts like chocolate chip pancakes, homemade waffles, and French toast make a wonderful weekend treat! This French Toast recipe is also easy and fast enough to make on a busy weekday morning, and your family is going to love it!
Thickly sliced bread is soaked in a sweet, creamy custard, pan-fried in butter, and then slathered in butter and syrup. What’s not to love?
I also have a foil packet french toast recipe that is perfect for cooking on the grill or campfire, and a recipe for french toast casserole that’s great for holidays.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Nothing Goes to Waste – You can go buy bread specifically to make french toast with, but this is a great way to use up slightly old or stale bread, rather than throwing it away. In Eastern Europe, where wasting food is never a good idea, a common meal is called “grenki“, and it’s basically the same as french toast! It can be served as a sweet or savory dish.
- A Simple Recipe – Once you learn how to make this french toast recipe, you’ll be able to do it in your sleep!
- A Family Favorite – French toast just seems fancier than pancakes or waffles sometimes! Your kids will be so excited to see this sweet breakfast on the table in the morning. Serve it with fresh fruit and bacon and watch their eyes light up!
Ingredients In French Toast
Here’s what you need to make this classic breakfast:
- Bread: It is ideal if your bread is a little bit stale or dried out! This makes it absorb more of the creamy custard and flavor. If you are using fresh bread, set it out on a wire rack to dry overnight and it will be perfect in the morning.
- Custard: I like to use whole eggs and half and half (single cream if you’re in the UK) to make the best french toast recipe. You can use milk, but it won’t be as custardy that way. Use heavy cream or add an extra egg yolk to make your french toast extra rich!
- Flavorings: Vanilla extract, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg give the french toast a sweet and warmly spiced flavor. You can skip the cinnamon and nutmeg if you like, but they really add a lot!
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
The Best Breads for French Toast
First, understand that you can use any kind of bread for french toast. Plain white bread, leftover baguette slices, bread machine wheat bread… it doesn’t matter. All of them will make french toast!
The trick is, that some types of bread make better french toast than others. Here, I’m using a loaf of brioche, and it ticks all the boxes:
- It comes in an unsliced loaf, which means that I can slice it myself to get thick slices for french toast.
- It has a spongy texture so that it can easily soak up the custard.
- And it’s a bit sweet, so brioche french toast will be extra tasty.
Other excellent decadent bread options for french toast include challah and babka. Try chocolate babka for an extra special treat!
If you have leftover croissants, turn them into the best croissant bread pudding!
How To Make The Best French Toast
- Make the Custard: In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, half and half, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, and salt. At this time, you can also preheat the oven to 325°F/160°C and set up a sheet pan with a wire rack on it. You’ll need this later!
- Dip the Bread: Pour the custard into a pie plate or a casserole dish that you can fit 2-4 pieces of bread in at a time. Preheat a 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat and melt the butter, then dip the toasts into the custard mixture, letting them sit in it for 20 seconds, then flipping and soaking for 20 minutes on the other side.
- Add to the Skillet: Let any excess custard drip off of the bread and then transfer the pieces to the hot skillet.
- Fry: Cook in a hot skillet for 3-5 minutes per side or until golden brown, puffed up, and crisp. Then transfer to the sheet pan fitted with a wire rack, and place in the oven for a few minutes to set the custard.
Tip!
Cook the French Toast in batches. Check to see how many pieces of bread you can easily fit in your skillet, and then only soak that many in the custard at a time.
I can fry 3-4 slices of bread at a time usually, and the first batches are kept warm in the oven while the next batch is fried.
Recipe Tips
- Use slices of bread that are thick, about ¾ of an inch is ideal. Buy an unsliced loaf and slice it yourself, or try using thick-sliced Texas toast bread.
- If your bread isn’t dry enough, you can put it on a wire rack over a sheet pan and place it in the oven at the lowest temperature for about 15-20 minutes, flipping it halfway through. Save this trick! It works well if you’re making bread pudding or holiday sausage stuffing too.
- Flavor Variations: Add things to the custard mixture, such as lemon zest, a splash of bourbon or rum, or your favorite baking extract.
- Use the Oven: You won’t be able to cook all of the pieces of bread at the same time, so keeping the first batch warm in the oven is practical. The extra bit of cooking also ensures that the custard is fully set, just in case it wasn’t already.
- French Toast Toppings: You can top french toast in a variety of ways! A dusting of powdered sugar or butter and maple syrup are two traditional ways to enjoy french toast, but you can try strawberry sauce, fruit jams or spreads, homemade nutella, whipped cream, crème anglaise, or any sweet sauce that you enjoy.
Storing French Toast Leftovers
Keep leftovers well-wrapped in the fridge for up to 2 days, or in the freezer in a freezer safe container for up to 2 months. Freeze slices of french toast in a single layer so that they don’t stick together.
You can reheat slices in a pan with butter, the same way that you cooked them originally.
Other breakfast favorites that are easy to make ahead include oatmeal balls and banana muffins.
What To Serve With French Toast
Serve French toast with your favorite breakfast dishes or brunch meals.
Add some hearty protein with breakfast burritos or sheet pan eggs with veggies.
Learn to make an amazing cup of coffee! I have tutorials for making coffee in a french press, coffee in a moka pot, and coffee in an Aeropress.
Recipe FAQs
Stale bread makes wonderful french toast! The dryer the bread, the more willing it is to soak up all of the delicious, creamy custard. I like to use challah and brioche to make french toast. I slice it and then let it go stale overnight.
Yes, quick breads like banana bread, Irish soda bread, or sweet potato bread can be used to make french toast. My only warning is that you need to be careful not to let the bread fall apart. Since there isn’t any yeast in these types of bread, they will be extremely delicate when wet with the custard mixture.
Making perfect french toast is a balance between getting the outside golden brown at the same time as the inside of the custard sets. This can be tricky, but there’s an easy fix. After frying the french toast, place it on a sheet pan fitted with a wire rack, and bake at 325°F/160°C for 5 minutes or so to complete the cooking process.
More Delicious Breakfast Recipes
Classic French Toast is so simple, and you now have the best and easiest recipe. Make this for your family this weekend and watch their eyes light up in excitement!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
French Toast
Equipment
- Baking sheet
- Wire rack
- 9-inch pie dish or casserole dish
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup (240 ml) half and half single cream in the UK. Milk or heavy cream can also be used.
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar or honey
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter for sauteing the toast
- 8 thick slices bread I used brioche, sliced ¾ inch thick, 1 pound (450g) in total
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F/160°C, fit a sheet pan with a wire rack and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, half and half, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, and salt. That’s the custard.
- Pour the custard into a pie plate, or any casserole dish that fits 2-4 toasts at once.
- Preheat a 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat, and melt the butter.
- Dip the toasts in the custard mixture, flipping after 20 seconds per side, allow any excess to drip into the dish and immediately transfer to the hot skillet.
- Cook in the hot skillet for 3-5 minutes per side or until golden brown, puffed and crisp. Transfer to the sheet pan fitted with a wire rack, and allow the custard to set in the oven before serving.
Notes:
- Use slices of bread that are thick, about ¾ of an inch is ideal. Buy an unsliced loaf and slice it yourself, or try using thick-sliced Texas toast bread.
- If your bread isn’t dry enough, you can put it on a wire rack over a sheet pan and place it in the oven at the lowest temperature for about 15-20 minutes, flipping it halfway through.
- Flavor variations: Add things to the custard mixture, such as lemon zest, a splash of bourbon or rum, or your favorite baking extract.
- Cook the French Toast in batches. Check to see how many pieces of bread you can easily fit in your skillet, and then only soak that many in the custard at a time. I can fry 3-4 slices of bread at a time usually, and the first batches are kept warm in the oven while the next batch is fried.
- Use the Oven: You won’t be able to cook all of the pieces of bread at the same time, so keeping the first batch warm in the oven is practical. The extra bit of cooking also ensures that the custard is fully set, just in case it wasn’t already.
- French Toast Toppings: You can top french toast in a variety of ways! A dusting of powdered sugar or butter and maple syrup are two traditional ways to enjoy french toast, but you can try strawberry sauce, fruit jams or spreads, homemade nutella, whipped cream, crème anglaise, or any sweet sauce that you enjoy.
- To Store: Keep leftovers well-wrapped in the fridge for up to 2 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months. You can reheat slices in a pan with butter, the same way that you cooked them originally.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
Kristen says
This french toast looked so delicious that I could not wait until morning to have it and decided to make it for dinner and I am so happy that I did so because it was incredible.
Little Sunny Kitchen says
I’m so glad you loved this recipe, Kristen! Thank you for the great review.
Sharon says
This French toast recipe is so simple and easy yet it tasted sooo good and satisfying! Glad you included the best breads for French toast, it is super helpful!
Little Sunny Kitchen says
That’s so great to hear, Sharon! Thank you for taking the time to write this kind review!
Abby says
This is the best french toast! So easy to make too.
Little Sunny Kitchen says
Thank you, Abby! I’m so glad you loved this recipe.