FRENCH STICKS RECIPES

Steps:

• Cut each piece of bread into thirds; place in a single layer in an ungreased 13x9-in. dish. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. Pour over bread; soak for 2 minutes, turning once. If desired, coat bread with cornflake crumbs on all sides. , Place in a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Freeze until firm, about 45 minutes. Transfer to an airtight freezer container and store in the freezer., To use frozen French toast sticks: Place desired number on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 425° for 8 minutes. Turn; bake 10-12 minutes longer or until golden brown. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar if desired. Serve with syrup.

Steps:

• Crack the eggs into a pie plate. Add the half-and-half, vanilla, 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of the cinnamon. Whisk lightly until combined; set aside.
• In a separate pie plate, stir together the panko breadcrumbs, crushed cereal and remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Use a fork to stir in the melted butter so that the crumbs are slightly moist. Crack up at the madness that is in this dish, then set it aside.
• One by one, quickly dunk the bread strips in the egg mixture, turning to coat. Then lay them in the dish with the crumb mixture, turning them over, sprinkling and pressing so the crumbs totally cover the surface. Place the sticks on a rack set in a baking sheet. Flash-freeze for 30 minutes to set the surface.
• Transfer the sticks to zipper bags for storage in the freezer. I do smaller bags of 6 to 8 sticks each, but you can do larger batches if you prefer!
• To bake them from frozen state, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a pan with frozen sticks and bake until golden brown around the edges, 15 to 18 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve with warm pancake syrup for dipping and fruit to make you feel good about life!