Ditch the stove top and the skillets and instead rely on the magic of the sheet pan to whip up a French toast breakfast. This sheet pan French toast still yields buttery, crisp French toast thanks to a pre-heated sheet pan that gives a perfect sear once the custard-dipped and buttered pieces of bread hit the pan. Pour yourself a fresh cup of coffee or tea (or better yet, a sparkling breakfast bev), sit back, and let your oven do the brunch work for you.
“Using a sheet tray to bake multiple pieces of French toast simultaneously is an ingenious way to have all the slices ready and hot at the same time. I tried two different kinds of bread (white and whole grain). Both were deliciously crunchy around the edges and custardy in the middle.” —Diana Andrews
A Note From Our Recipe Tester
Ingredients
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4 large eggs
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1 cup milk
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1 tablespoon sugar
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Dash of kosher salt
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1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, optional
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1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional
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1 tablespoon unsalted butter
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6 to 9 slices bread, preferably stale or day-old bread
Steps to Make It
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Gather the ingredients.
The Spruce / Cara Cormack
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Place a large rimmed sheet pan in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 F. After the oven reaches 400 F, allow the sheet pan to sit for an additional 5 minutes in the hot oven while you prepare the custard.
The Spruce / Cara Cormack
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Break the eggs into a wide, shallow bowl or pie plate and beat them lightly with a fork or whisk. Whisk the milk, sugar, salt, and, if using, vanilla extract and cinnamon, into the beaten eggs. Set aside.
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Place the bread slices, one at a time, into the bowl or plate with custard. Let the bread soak up the egg mixture for a few seconds and then carefully turn to coat the other side. Place soaked bread on a separate plate and continue until all bread is soaked.
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Carefully remove the hot sheet pan from the oven and add the butter to the pan, spreading it around until it melts.
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Add the soaked bread slices to the buttered pan, spacing evenly. Return the pan to the oven and reduce the temperature to 375 F. Cook until the bottoms of the bread are evenly burnished and golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.
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Flip each piece of bread and return the pan to the oven to cook until the bread is browned on the other side, an additional 6 to 8 minutes. Serve immediately with toppings of your choice.
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What Kind of Bread Should I Use For French Toast?
- The best kind of bread for French toast depends in part on the kind of recipe you are making. For a stuffed French toast or this creme brûlée French toast, denser breads like brioche and challah are a better choice for these decadent recipes. However, this sheet pan recipe is for an everyday, quick French toast, which means that even your favorite, pre-sliced, grocery store loaf of white or wheat bread will do the trick.
- The biggest thing to keep in mind when making French toast is to allow the bread slices to sit out overnight or to pull from a loaf of slightly stale bread for this recipe, as this will allow for maximum custard soaking without a soggy finished product.
- This recipe is timed to bake thinner, grocery store style bread loaves, so if you opt to use a thicker or denser bread like brioche or challah, plan to increase the bake time by 3 to 4 minutes per side.
Tip
Prior to heating up the sheet pan, check to make sure all of your bread slices can fit on one pan by laying them out. Bread slice sizes will vary depending on brand. If a second sheet pan is required, heat up two pans and use an additional tablespoon of butter on the second sheet pan.
Caramelized Sugar Sheet Pan French Toast
For a caramelized sugar finish to your French toast, try this variation:
After adding the butter to the hot sheet pan, but before laying the bread slices down, sprinkle 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar or cinnamon sugar evenly over the pan. Lay soaked bread slices down on the sugared butter and bake according to recipe. This will yield a crispy crust around the finished pieces that will resemble a brûlée finish.
How to Store and Reheat
Refrigerate any leftover French toast slices in a covered container or wrapped in a piece of foil for up to 4 days. To reheat, warm the slices and re-crisp the bread in a skillet over medium to medium-low heat, flipping to heat both sides, or pop the slices in a toaster oven and rewarm at a low setting for about 1 minute.