Confession – I have never really liked french toast. I like the idea of french toast but never the actual result. Until this recipe! I wanted to make a special fall breakfast for the kids and I also wanted to make something that I could freeze for later use. I do this often with pancakes but since I had a loaf of my favorite homemade whole wheat bread I decided to have a go at french toast sticks. I added the pumpkin element because it is fall and I love pumpkin spice!
Why sticks you ask? Well the reason I haven’t been a fan of french toast in the past has been the “mush” element. Because the bread slices are dipped in a wet mixture, the middle always ends up mushy which I do not like! I am a big texture person and in my humble opinion, mush is not a good texture in bread. The sticks eliminate the problem. Because they aren’t as wide as a regular piece of bread they cook more evenly and don’t get mushy. You can also cook all sides of each stick which makes them even more lovely and golden. If mush isn’t an issue for you then you can just cook two sides and be done.
The freezer option makes these a wonderful alternative to the sugar and chemical laden freezer aisle version. You can know exactly what is in your child’s breakfast and feel good about what they are eating. They can still enjoy the fun of little dippers (why do kids love dipping things??) and you both get the convenience of grabbing them out of the freezer. These would be a good lunch box option too!
If you, like me, don’t have a need to be dipping your food all the time 😉 then you can serve these like regular french toast. I topped mine with some walnuts, melted ghee, maple syrup and a sprinkle of pumpkin spice. SO yummy!!
Enjoy and HAPPY FALL!!
Pumpkin French Toast Sticks
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 3 TBS maple syrup or honey
- dash salt
- 1 medium loaf of bread cut into sticks * See Note
- refined coconut oil spray for cooking
Instructions
-
In a large bowl, whisk all ingredients except bread. Heat skillet to medium heat (if using an electric skillet, around 300) and spray with coconut oil. Cooking in batches, roll a few of the bread sticks into egg mixture, just long enough to coat, do NOT soak. Place coated bread sticks in skillet and cook until golden on each side. Place on a plate to cool and cook the next batch.
For freezer meal: Label a ziplock freezer bag with Name, Date, and reheating instructions (see below). Place cooked and cooled french toast sticks on a baking sheet and freeze for 30 minutes. Transfer to a freezer bag and continue to freeze until ready to use. To reheat - Place frozen sticks in a toaster or 350 degree oven until heated through. You may need to cover with foil to keep the sticks from getting overly brown. Or you can microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Recipe Notes
*Note: You can use your bread of choice. I used my favorite whole wheat recipe but you could also use gluten free, or paleo. Cut bread into thick slices and cut sticks about 1.7 cm / 2/3" thick. This doesn't have to be exact, I just wanted to give you an idea. Think about little hands using the french toast sticks to dip.
