Frozen French Toast(Star 11/23/92)

Meal prep your breakfast with this freezer-friendly French toast that bakes up crispy straight from frozen. Thick-cut Texas toast soaks up a custard of eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, and nutmeg, then gets frozen flat on a sheet before bagging for storage.

The Texas toast is the right call here. Thin sandwich bread would fall apart during soaking and freezing, but that thick-cut slab holds its structure and develops a crispy exterior in the oven while staying custardy inside.

Let the bread sit in the egg mixture until every drop is absorbed. Don’t rush this step. Fully soaked slices freeze better and bake up more evenly than ones that are still dry in the center.

Baked at high heat with a brush of melted butter on each side, these come out with golden, crunchy edges that a skillet can’t match when you’re cooking for a crowd.

Chef Tips

• Freeze the soaked slices on a parchment-lined sheet in a single layer first, then bag them. This keeps them from fusing into a solid block
• Freshly grated nutmeg makes a noticeable difference over pre-ground. Even a small amount is more aromatic
• No need to thaw before baking. Straight from freezer to oven is the whole point
• These keep well in the freezer for up to a month in sealed bags with as much air pressed out as possible

Variations

• Use brioche or challah instead of Texas toast for a richer, eggier result
• Add a teaspoon of cinnamon to the egg mixture for a cinnamon-sugar version
• Swap milk for half-and-half for an even more decadent custard soak