What’s better than bite-sized breakfast? Cinnamon French Toast Bites are one such perfect twist on traditional breakfast items that is so easy to make and eat!
French Toast has always been a popular breakfast item – after all, it is perfection. However, this variation of the dish is even more delicious.
As opposed to the sogginess of French Toasts at the centre, the Cinnamon French Toast Bites have a sweet and savoury crisp in every bite. The flavour is complemented by the slight spiciness of cinnamon sprinkled in. And the fact that they are shaped as little cubes makes them extremely easy to eat.
If you are someone who is a fan of cinnamon donuts, Cinnamon French Toast Bites are absolutely something that you should add to your bucket list of foods you want to try – because they taste surprisingly similar!
Where Does French Toast Come From?
As is the case with a lot of other recipes, “French Toast” is a misleading name. The name “French Toast” is, in fact, believed to have been first used in the Roman Empire! It is said that the early settlers from Rome then brought the recipe to America and the rest of the world with them. No one knows how these French Toasts morphed into Cinnamon French Toast Bites. And why does it even matter? Let’s just be grateful that these exist and move on to actually making them!
Why Does This Recipe Work?
- French Toast already being a well-loved breakfast recipe, it is no wonder that these bites too would end up as a favourite.
- These Cinnamon French Toast Bites taste like Cinnamon Donuts but have 80% fewer calories than them, making them a healthier option to satisfy your craving! It is more or less a win-win situation.
- Since they are little cubes, they are absolutely easy to eat and a delight to munch on. This makes them an excellent option for comfort food.
- Making these french toast bites is surprisingly easy and quick! Thus, the next time the family demands something special for breakfast on a lazy Sunday morning, remember that these bites are here to save you the pain!
- These bites are not only good for breakfast, but they are also perfect as snacks or even dessert.
What Is In This Cinnamon French Toast Bites Recipe?
Thick slices of white bread. Thick bread is the base ingredient for making Cinnamon French Toast Bites. Regular white bread won’t work here because if the bread is not thick, cutting it into cubes will be impossible. However, you may use regular bread per se, but you will end up with tiny cubes.
Eggs. They are essential to make the bites crispy. They also add their own rich flavour to them.
Milk. It is another ingredient that will form the custard along with the eggs.
Ground cinnamon. It will add an exciting dash of spicy sweetness to the dish, making the flavour profile interesting.
Granulated sugar. iIt will impart sweetness to the Cinnamon French Toast Bites.
Butter. The Bites will be “sautéed” in butter to give them the crispiness and savouriness that is their most fun part.
How To Make Cinnamon French Toast Bites?
First, cut the bread to slices and then cut each slice into eight equal cubes.
Mix some sugar and cinnamon in a bowl until combined.
In a bowl, whisk eggs, milk, and salt.
Melt a half portion of the butter in a non-stick pan over medium heat (make sure that the butter does not turn brown).
Now, toss half the bread cubes in the egg mixture, and make sure they are completely covered. Shake off any excess of the mixture. Then, transfer the cubes into the pan, and sauté them for 3-4 minutes, or until browned on all sides.
Remove them from the pan and quickly put them into the sugar mixture, stirring to coat all the sides. Then, put them into a serving plate.
Repeat with the rest of the bread cubes.
Serve warm, with any dipping you fancy.
Top Tips!
- Use slightly stale bread. Fresh bread tends to soak up too much of the egg mixture, which makes the French Toast soggy and taste like a raw egg.
- If you use fresh bread, make sure that it is oven-dried.
- Another option is to cut the bread into cubes and leave it in a dry container overnight.
- Don’t leave the bread in the egg for too long to avoid sogginess.
- Use the right amount of heat. Using too much heat will give you burnt bites which are still soggy on the inside, and too little heat will make the cubes dry out.
- The best bread for this recipe is one that is thick. However, if you don’t mind your bites not being cube-shaped, you can use any and all forms of bread.
Some Variations
- You can use cooking oil instead of butter. Coconut oil is also a good option because it adds better richness and flavour than others.
- Using gluten-free bread will make these Cinnamon French Toast Bites ideal for you, even if you are looking for something gluten-free.
- You can cut the bread into strips instead of cubes to get Cinnamon French Toast Sticks.
- Adding almond or vanilla extract to the custard is an option to add some more flavour to these bites.
Serving Suggestions
- It is best to serve these bites fresh. Smear the hot bites with butter and let it melt in your mouth in all its glory.
- You can eat them with cheese and tomato sauce.
- Serve it for breakfast with maple syrup to dip it in.
- If desired, top it with whipped cream.
- Sprinkle some additional sugar and cinnamon on top for heightened taste.
- Serve alongside a bowl of fruit, fruit juice, smoothie, or whatever you regularly have for breakfast.
- A bowl of berries with these bites makes a heavenly combo. Also, when skewered with a berry on top, these bites are an absolute delight to look at!
- You can also dip these bites in jam or honey.
- The combination of Cinnamon French Toast bites dipped in chocolate and topped with whipped cream is absolutely heavenly!
Recipe FAQs
Whisk the cinnamon with a little bit of milk to form a paste. Then add the rest of the ingredients and whisk it again. This method will prevent forming any clumps.
Yes, you can! They can keep for 1-2 days in an airtight container. When put in the fridge in an airtight container, they are edible for up to 5 days!
If you plan on freezing them, first lay them out on a cookie sheet, and place them in the freezer. Remove them once they are frozen, put them in an airtight freezer bag, and your batch of Cinnamon French Toast Bites is ready to be stored!
The most common cause for this is under-soaking the bread. Instead of quickly dipping the bread in the custard, give it some time for soaking it in. This is what gives the bites a soft, tender centre. Another possible reason is that you used too little heat. Make sure that you use medium heat, and sauté the cubes on all sides.
Recipes you may like
Cinnamon French Toast Bites Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 slices slightly stale bread
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup milk
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon powder
- pinch of salt
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 3 tablespoon butter , separated
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup , (optional) to serve
Instructions
- First, cut each slice of bread into 8 equal cubes.
- Mix sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl until combined.
- In a bowl, whisk eggs, milk and salt.
- Melt half of the butter in a non-stick pan over medium heat (make sure the butter don't turn brown).
- Now, toss half the bread cubes in the egg mixture, shake off any excess of the mixture. Transfer the cubes into the pan, sauté them for 3-4 minutes or until browned on all sides.
- Remove them from the pan and quickly put them into the sugar mixture, stir to coat all the sides, then put them into a serving plate.
- Repeat with the rest of the bread cubes.
- Serve warm, with any dipping you fancy.
Notes
- Use slightly stale bread. Fresh bread tends to soak up too much of the egg mixture, which makes the French Toast soggy and taste like a raw egg.
- If you use fresh bread, make sure that it is oven-dried.
- Another option is to cut the bread into cubes and leave it in a dry container overnight.
- Don’t leave the bread in the egg for too long to avoid sogginess.
- Use the right amount of heat. Using too much heat will give you burnt bites which are still soggy on the inside, and too little heat will make the cubes dry out.
- The best bread for this recipe is one that is thick. However, if you don’t mind your bites not being cube-shaped, you can use any and all forms of bread.
Recipe Variations
- ou can use cooking oil instead of butter. Coconut oil is also a good option because it adds better richness and flavour than others.
- Using gluten-free bread will make these Cinnamon French Toast Bites ideal for you, even if you are looking for something gluten-free.
- You can cut the bread into strips instead of cubes to get Cinnamon French Toast Sticks.
- Adding almond or vanilla extract to the custard is an option to add some more flavour to these bites.
Nutrition
If you like this recipe and want to save it for later? Add it to your favourite recipe board on Pinterest!
Follow me on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram to keep up-to-date with all new recipes. Also, you can subscribe to my Newsletter to recipe all the latest recipes once published.
Simmon
Wow, my son will definitely love these.
Caroline
I made these twice before; there were crunchy and better than ordinary french toast. I love these.
Ella
This may be perfect for dessert.
Margreta
Delicious with chocolate sauce. I like to dip these or just dazzle them with chocolate sauce.
Beth
Do I have to use a whole loaf of bread?
Radwa
No, you don't have to use it all, just use as what you will consume.