Easy French Toast Recipe

A classic french toast recipe that's easy to make and perfect for breakfast or brunch! Thick slices of Texas toast soaked in an egg mixture with cinnamon and vanilla, and then grilled and oven baked to perfection!

This is such an easy french toast recipe and you are going to be amazed at how delicious it tastes! There's a secret to this recipe that sets it apart from all the other ones out there. I'll go ahead and let you in on my little secret...

I bake it.

Oven baked French toast is both fluffy and crispy all at the same time!

This is my husband's favorite breakfast recipe. He recently asked me if it was hard to make and I was like...no way. Not only is it super simple, but it's also fast to make. And then he asked me why I don't make it more often for him. Especially when it can be frozen and reheated later. Well...he has a point.

Why This Recipe Works

• It's beyond easy to make and is made with simple pantry ingredients,
• This is a basic French toast recipe but full of amazing flavors,
• These homemade french toast sticks can be frozen and reheated for busy days,
• It just doesn't get better than having a homemade french toast breakfast that is ready in 20 minutes!

Video: How To Make French Toast Step-By-Step

Ingredients You'll Need

You probably already have these french toast ingredients in your kitchen. Well, maybe not the Texas toast. The best bread for french toast is Texas Toast. I'm not talking about the Texas toast garlic bread that's in the frozen section at the grocery store. You can find a fresh loaf of Texas toast in the bread aisle at your local grocery store. And, you can sometimes find it in the bakery section.

My favorite brand of bread to use is Wonder Texas Toast. You can find this at your local grocery store. Texas toast is cut into thick slices, which is a MUST  for this recipe! You can use other types of bread though, it you want. I know some people like to use sourdough and brioche bread when making this recipe.

The Origin of French Toast

Why is it called French Toast? Well, I can tell you that it didn't originate in France. A man by the name of Joseph French invented French Toast. If you do your research, you'll see that it can be traced all the way back to the Roman Empire. It was originally called "Pan Dulcis". The Romans would soak the bread in a milk and egg mixture and then fry it in oil or butter.

So it's not really a French recipe at all. In France, they started making it using old stale bread in order to use it before it went bad. They call it "pain perdu", or lost bread. In England, they refer to it as "eggy bread". Here's some other cool names you may hear it called:

• German toast
• French fried bread
• Gypsy toast
• Poor Knights of Windsor
• Spanish toast
• Nun’s toast

How To Make French Toast - Step-by-Step Recipe Instructions

Making French toast is so easy! First, slice the Texas toast into 3 columns so you have "sticks". Expert Tip: When making this recipe, I use the entire loaf of bread so I have leftovers I can freeze.

Next, place the eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract in a large bowl and mix together with a handheld whisk until well combined. Note that the cinnamon and nutmeg will hang out at the top of the french toast batter after it's mixed.

Place a large skillet on the stove top and set the heat to medium-high. Melt the butter in the skillet until completely melted.

In batches, take 3-4 sticks and dip them into the egg mixture, one at a time. Soak for about 3-4 seconds each until they're slightly saturated. Place each slice in the skillet when the butter has melted.

Let each piece saute for about 4-5 minutes and then flip using a spatula. Each piece should look like this when flipped over. If you don't have that golden brown glow on each piece, you flipped them over too soon. Once you turn the toast over, cook until the other side is browned. Repeat with the remaining slices.

Once all the slices have been browned, place them on a cookie sheet. In a 350°F preheated oven, bake each piece for 7-10 minutes. The goal is to get the each piece of bread to a slight crisp so you can enjoy crispy French toast. That's the secret to what sets this recipe apart from others and what makes this French toast tasty!

Remove from the oven, serve on a plate, and add butter and syrup.

Gluten Free Version

If you're gluten free, you can very easily make a gluten free version. All you need to do is switch out regular Texas Toast with a gluten free loaf of bread. That's it! Now that all my gluten free followers are smiling, let's talk about gluten free bread types and brands.

I love using Rudis Gluten Free Bread. It can be found both in the freezer section as well as in the bread aisle at your local grocery. Rudis has 2 separate recipes for their gluten free bread. One needs to be frozen and the other can stay on the shelf. You can check out the differences and details here.

I can tell you this...I made a batch of gluten free French bread one morning and neither my kids nor my husband could tell the difference between my gluten free version and my traditional batch. If they really stop and stare at the gluten free batch, they will see that the slices of the gluten free bread are not cut as thick as normal, but most of the time they are eating so fast they just don't notice...or care!

Expert Tips

• Don't skip the baking part. Once all the bread slices are browned, place them on a cookie sheet and place in the oven for 7-10 minutes. The goal is to get these slightly crisp. This method is what makes this recipe so good!
• You can freeze this recipe. I always make the entire loaf so I can keep some in the freezer for busy mornings. I typically take 3-4 sticks of the cooked french bread and place them in a large plastic freezer bag. On school days, I pull out a couple of pieces and bake them in the oven at 350°F for 10-12 minutes. It's a great breakfast for the kids before they head to school!
• If you're making a gluten free version of this recipe, you'll follow the exact same steps as I listed above. This recipe is not finicky when using a gluten free bread.
• While I personally love topping mine with syrup, my kiddos don't. They top their with fresh strawberries, blueberries, powdered sugar, and sometimes whipped cream!

More Breakfast Recipes

If you're looking for more quick breakfast recipes, check out these Baked Oatmeal Cupcakes. These can be frozen and reheated for busy mornings. These Prosciutto and Goat Cheese Eggs en Cocotte are also quick to make are extremely tasty!

But if you love a good "syrup required" breakfast, then definately check out these Matcha Pancakes with Lemon Maple Syrup. You'll be amazed at the flavor!

I can’t wait to hear how this turned out for you! Leave me a comment if you make these and tag me @recipesworthrepeating on Instagram and hashtag it #recipesworthrepeating so I can see what you made!

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Easy French Toast

A classic french toast recipe that's easy to make and perfect for breakfast or brunch! Thick slices of Texas toast soaked in an egg mixture with cinnamon and vanilla, and then grilled and oven baked to perfection!

5 from 9 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 10 people

Calories: 307kcal

Author: Amanda Mason

Ingredients

• ▢ 4 eggs, beaten
• ▢ 1 cup milk, 2% or whole
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons white granulated sugar
• ▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ▢ ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ground
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, ground
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons butter, salted
• ▢ 1 loaf Texas Toast

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Slice the Texas toast into 3 columns so you have "sticks".
• Next, place the eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract in a large bowl and mix together with a handheld whisk until well combined.
• Place a large skillet on the stove top and set the heat to medium-high. Melt the butter in the skillet until completely melted.
• In batches, take 3-4 slices of bread and dip them into the egg mixture, one at a time. Soak for about 3-4 seconds each until they're slightly saturated. Place each slice in the skillet where the butter has melted.
• Let each piece cook for about 4-5 minutes and then flip using a spatula. Each piece should look like this when flipped over. If you don't have that golden brown glow on each piece, you flipped them over too soon. Once you turn the toast over, cook until the other side is browned. Repeat with the remaining slices.
• Once all the slices have been browned, place them on a cookie sheet. Bake each piece for 7-10 minutes. The goal is to get the each piece of bread to a slight crisp.
• Remove from the oven, serve on a plate, and add butter and syrup.

Video

Notes

• If you're gluten free, you can very easily make a gluten free version. All you need to do is switch out regular Texas Toast bread with a gluten free loaf of bread.
• Don't skip the baking part. Once all the bread slices are browned, place them on a cookie sheet and place in the oven for 7-10 minutes. The goal is to get these slightly crisp. This method is what makes this recipe so good!
• This is a great recipe to freeze. I always make the entire loaf so I can keep some in the freezer for busy mornings. I typically take 3-4 sticks of the cooked french bread and place them in a large plastic freezer bag. On school days, I pull out a couple of pieces and bake them in the oven at 350°F for 10-12 minutes. It's the perfect breakfast for the kids before they head to school!
• If you're making a gluten free version of this recipe, you'll follow the exact same steps as I listed above. This recipe is not finicky when using a gluten free bread.
• While I personally love topping mine with syrup, my kiddos don't. They top their with fresh strawberries, blueberries, powdered sugar, and sometimes whipped cream!

Nutrition

Serving: 4slices | Calories: 307kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 123mg | Sodium: 372mg | Potassium: 94mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 340IU | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 8.5mg

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Update Notes: This post was originally published in June of 2017, but was re-published with updated step-by-step instructions, pictures and tips in July 2020.