Ah, the weekend comes, no one has to go to work or school; what a great time for, mmm, french toast! Some people think french toast means lots of time and trouble but they are mistaken. French toast is very easy to make, uses few dishes or pans, and is always delicious. You can prepare a simple mix for dipping the bread or you can go all-out and add many extra ingredients. Although french toast is so good it can also be very messy. A plate full of syrup can spell disaster, especially when it involves small children. Make french toast sticks, though, and there will be no plate of syrup – and no utensils!
Although there are many french toast recipes out there I prefer the no-measuring mixture. Beat an egg or two, add some milk, then sprinkle in the cinnamon. Some people prefer a nice, thick layer of egg on the outside of the bread. To achieve this you’ll use very little milk. Others like the toast to be dipped in the egg mixture but they don’t want it to look or taste like a whole, fried egg is plastered to the piece of bread. Use a little more milk to achieve a less-egg french toast. Don’t get carried away with the milk; add it a little at a time until you’ve achieved the desired consistency. The batter should end up being somewhat soupy but still of a consistency that will allow the egg mixture to cling to the bread. Of course, you always have the choice of using your own french toast batter recipe to make french toast sticks.
After beating the eggs and milk you can easily add the cinnamon by sprinkling it on top. If you beat the cinnamon into the mixture you’ll find that most of the cinnamon will simply cling to the sides of the bowl. Instead, just sprinkle the cinnamon on top of the mixture then lay the bread on top of the cinnamon. Dip that side of the bread then turn and dip the other side. The first side will be covered in cinnamon but there will be little – if any – cinnamon on the opposite side. If you want cinnamon on both sides, dip the first side, hold the dipped bread with a fork while you sprinkle in more cinnamon, then dip the second side of the bread. This will not only give the bread more of a cinnamon flavor but the cinnamon also helps to brown the toast.
Many people use an ordinary loaf of bread to make french toast. Although regular sliced bread makes good french toast it’s even better if you use Texas toast. With french toast sticks, especially, the Texas toast makes it much easier to pick up and hold. Texas toast is shaped and tastes much like regular bread but the slices are much thicker. French toast sticks made from regular bread can tend to be very limp when being dipped in the syrup. Using the Texas toast makes much more substantial sticks – capable of remaining stiff as they’re dipped.
Some people choose to cut the crust off of the bread before dipping it in the batter and frying it. This is a personal choice. You can make every french toast stick look exactly alike by removing the crust. Or, you can just cut the toast into strips to make the french toast sticks. Whether you remove or keep the crust you will dip the bread and fry it.
Use a griddle to make the perfect french toast, but if you don’t have one, use a well-oiled skillet. Set the skillet on medium heat, place the bread in, then brown. Try not to flip the bread repeatedly. Use the spatula to gently ease up a corner so you can look underneath to see if it’s ready to turn. Flip and brown the other side before removing from the heat. Immediately cut the bread into three or four slices. Each piece is now a french toast stick. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or serve as-is. Instead of placing on a plate and watching kids spill syrup everywhere as they try to cut it they can simply dip the sticks into a sauce dish with syrup. If you want, you can also serve a side of melted butter for dipping. Kids will create much less mess by having french toast sticks instead of french toast on a plate – and adults love ’em, too!
There are variations you can make to the french toast sticks or to the way they are eaten. Use various types of breads or low-sugar syrup. Spread each stick with a row of jam instead of serving with syrup. Even cut the strips into squares then add a tiny dollop of jam on top of each one. Go online to find even more french toast stick variations your family will love.
For many working families time together on the weekends is very important. And, breakfast can be the best way for everyone to get together before everyone sets off on their own weekend plans. Don’t worry that a french toast stick breakfast will take up a lot of your time and energy; it won’t. Make a batch of french toast for the grownups and a batch of the french toast sticks for the kids. Or, make french toast sticks for everyone – they’ll all be dippin’ and smilin’!
Reference:
- More recipes here: www.recipes.com
