‘The Pioneer Woman’: Ree Drummond’s Crunchy French Toast Sticks Recipe Is a Fun Breakfast Idea
Ree Drummond has an easy family favorite breakfast idea that can be made ahead and stocked in the freezer. The Pioneer Woman star’s crunchy French toast sticks are prepped ahead of time and frozen. Then she bakes them in the oven as needed.
Ree Drummond has the perfect make-ahead breakfast for the freezer
On an episode of The Pioneer Woman, Drummond stocked her freezer with breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert options, including what she called “outrageously delicious crunchy French toast sticks, a Drummond kid favorite.”
She explained, “There is nothing that brings me more joy in life than having a freezer full of food, all ready to go.” Drummond worked on recipes to store in the freezer, saying, “I’m going to fill the freezer with all three meals of the day and then some.”
How to make Ree Drummond’s crunchy French toast sticks
Drummond started with her crunchy French toast sticks recipe, which couldn’t be easier. “It’s technically breakfast but honestly, it’s so delicious, it would totally pass as dessert,” she explained.
The Pioneer Woman star cut up Texas toast bread into strips and set them aside. Then Drummond whisked together eggs, half and half, cinnamon, vanilla, and sugar in a shallow dish. “This is definitely a sweet treat,” she explained.
“I know it looks like I’m making a ton of the crunchy French toast sticks, and that’s because I am making a ton,” Drummond said. “But if I’m going to go to the trouble of making things for the freezer, I really want to have a lot to show for it.”
After Drummond combined the egg mixture, she set it aside and prepped the crunchy mixture. According to Drummond, this is the part that “makes this French toast so incredibly special.”
Drummond added crushed sugared cereal to another shallow pan and added “kind of a funny ingredient for French toast” she said “totally works” — panko bread crumbs. She added sugar and cinnamon to the mixture and stirred everything together. The Food Network host added melted butter and stirred it with a fork. “It just kind of helps the crumbs stick together,” she explained. “And of course, butter never hurts — it’ll add even more amazing flavor.”
The Pioneer Woman star set up an assembly line, first dipping a bread strip in the egg mixture, then coating it with the crunchy mixture. “I like to use Texas toast because it’s nice and thick and doesn’t get soggy as easily,” she said.
Drummond’s french toast breakfast recipe can go from freezer to oven
Drummond flash freezes the french toast sticks by placing them on a rack set over a sheet pan and freezing them for 30 minutes. “This firms up the surface, then they’re ready to get into pre-labeled bags,” she explained.
When she needs to cook the French toast sticks, Drummond bakes them straight out of the freezer in a 425 degree Fahrenheit oven for 15 minutes. She serves them on a plate with a sprinkle of powdered sugar, berries, and warm pancake syrup in a container for dipping.
“French toast really is a fantastic freezer breakfast,” she said.
The full recipe is available on the Food Network website.
