Cinnamon French Toast Sticks

My Cinnamon French Toast Sticks are cut from thick slices of bread, soaked in a rich custard, and rolled in crunchy cinnamon sugar as soon as they're done cooking. Dipped in maple syrup, chocolate sauce, or just eaten on their own - forget the kids. These are for you! Okay, the kids can have a couple.

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I thought I had reached the peak of French toastiness when I started making my sheet pan French toast, but now I have a new favorite child. These Cinnamon French Toast Sticks are absolutely incredible and I'm almost mad I haven't been making them all along!

Listen, I love making the same basic French toast recipe that my Dad always made for me, but this version has my heart. I rejected making French toast sticks before because I thought it was a kids French toast and I'm a whole grown up.

I was so wrong. This is like French toast and a churro Animorphed into something better and tastier than either could be on their own. I "adulted" it by using my easy brioche bread, cut extra thick, and used half and half in the custard, and I am never looking back.

Ingredients

These are very basic ingredients, but that's what makes French toast such a popular breakfast!

See recipe card below for exact quantities.

Best bread for French toast

I have my favorite bread suggestions for homemade French toast sticks, but the ultimate decision should be based on what you can make, find, or afford. No wrong answers. For the best results, start with an unsliced loaf of bread, so you can make nice thick French toast sticks. These are my favorite breads, in order of how much I love them in French toast:

• Brioche bread - I recently wrote a recipe for the easiest homemade brioche bread, but even if you used store bought, it would still be my favorite. It is an enriched bread, meaning it is made with butter and eggs, so it can stand up to soaking in the custard without falling apart. Challah would fall into this category as well.
• Texas toast - This is a nice thickly sliced white bread that you can find at most grocery stores. I do not mean the brand of cheese and garlic Texas Toast found in the freezer section. That would be a whole different recipe!
• French bread - I normally use French bread for my caramelized French toast recipe, made with creme anglaise, but it is a nice sturdy bread that can be sliced thickly, which is perfect for these French toast sticks.

Stale bread vs fresh bread - Using stale bread allows the bread to soak up more of the custard, giving you a nice moist French toast. If you only have fresh bread, you can slice it into sticks and leave it overnight to stale, or you can slice them and then pop them in a 300°F oven for about 10 minutes to dry them out.

Substitutions & Variations

I feel it is imperative that you get French toast sticks into your life as soon as possible, so here are a few ways you can make that happen:

• Gluten free - You can absolutely use your favorite gluten free bread in this recipe.
• Dairy - I prefer to use half and half or heavy cream because I'm going for rich flavor, but you can use skim or nonfat milk if you prefer.
• Non-dairy - I am a big fan of making a non-dairy vanilla coffee creamer French toast, but you can also use your choice of plant based milks, like oat milk, almond milk, or soy milk.
• No egg - If you cannot consume eggs, you can omit them and add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to your half and half, vanilla, and cinnamon mixture. Whisk well to fully incorporate the cornstarch and continue the recipe as written.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Making French toast sticks is very similar to how you make regular french toast, but smaller. And it's been scientifically proven that tiny food tastes better, so let's make some darn good tasting little bread sticks!

Step 1: Slice bread 1 inch thick and then cut off crusts, if you want. Slice each piece of bread into 1 inch sticks. 

Place on a wire rack to dry overnight, dry in a 300°F oven for 10 minutes, or just use them as they are.

Step 2: Whisk eggs, half and half, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon and pour into a shallow dish or bowl.

Step 3: Warm large nonstick pan to medium heat. Add one tablespoon of vegetable oil and one tablespoon of butter to the pan and allow the butter to melt to melt. Dip bread in egg mixture, turning to coat all sides evenly.

Step 4: Place 4 to 6 sticks in the pan and cook about 2 minutes, or until golden brown.

Step 5: Flip over and cook about 2 minutes on the other sides, including the bottom and top.

Step 6: Remove finished sticks and immediately drop into the cinnamon sugar, rolling to coat on all sides.

Place sugared French toast sticks on a wire rack set on a sheet pan (to prevent sogginess) and keep warm in a 200° oven. Repeat with the rest of your sticks of bread.

How to serve French toast sticks

How, or even if, you dip your toast sticks is totally up to you. Here are the favorite ways in our family:

• Chocolate Hazelnut - My youngest daughter loves all things Nutella, so she likes to warm up a small bowl of it to dip her French toast sticks.
• Peanut butter - The Boy, my husband, is all peanut butter, all the time, except when it's chocolate... let's just say he's easy to please.
• Fancy - When I'm feeling a bit fancy, I like to whip up my 5 minute blender Crème anglaise. It's the perfect dipping sauce.

Or eat them my favorite way, and the way that I eat them 95% of the time, with my own personal bowl of warm maple syrup for dipping and double dipping!

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