Pan Frances

Pan Frances (French Toast) is a classic recipe that is loved around the world! I grew up eating Pan Frances in Mexico and it was (and still is) one of my favorite breakfasts to eat.

What is Pan Frances English? It simply means and translates to French Bread. Pan = Bread and the word Frances = French.

When you travel to Mexico you may see them on restaurants menu and now you know what to call them! This is a recipe for the kind of French toast people line up for outside restaurants on Sunday morning.

It’s simple: no new ingredients, special tools or technology needed. However, the secret for a great French toast is thick-cut white bread, dunked into an egg-milk mixture with extra richness from egg yolks and milk. It results in a French toast that tastes buttery with firm but fluffy texture.

🩷 xoxo, Ana

Variations

Add different spices: a dash of nutmeg, pumpkin spice, chai, cloves, or ginger.
Zest: add dried (or, even better, fresh) orange zest to the egg/milk mixture.
Want french toast bites? Use baguette slices!
Serve: with a bit of icing sugar on top, and some maple syrup. Nutella or berry preserves. Yummy!

How To Make Pan Frances

Besides tasting great, your kitchen will smell wonderful while you cook it!

Tip: If the bread is not stale, let it sit on a baking sheet for an hour or so to harden it up a little bit.

A large bowl with milk, eggs, cinnamon and vanilla.

In a shallow bowl, add the eggs & yolks, milk, sugar, cinnamon, salt and vanilla.

2. Whisk until foamy and smooth. Set aside.

3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.

A slice of bread dipped in an egg, milk with cinnamon mixture on a large bowl.

4. Place 1 or 2 slices of bread at the time in the bowl with the egg mixture.

5. Then turn until saturated. Do not over soak since it will result in mushy french toast.

Two slices of golden-brown French toast cooking in a nonstick skillet, showing a crisp, caramelized surface.

6. When butter is just melted and bubbling, add bread slices in batches, cooking until they’re golden brown and crisp, a couple of minutes per side.

I like to cook 2 at the time.

Toasting two slices of bread in a gray skillet and a white spatula flipping one bread.

7. Transfer to a plate for serving or to a rack to keep warm, or transfer to the oven to keep warm while cooking remaining bread.. See instructions below.

If not keeping warm in the oven, serve immediately. Top with maple syrup, berries, jam, sliced bananas, or whatever you’d like.

A stack of pan frances on a pretty white plate with fruit and flowers on the side

How to keep warm in the oven

If you won’t be eating the French Toast right away or are making a large batch, you can keep it warm in the oven by following these steps:

Heat oven to 200 degrees, and place a wire rack on a sheet pan inside.
Cook the French toast as directed, then place it in oven on wire rack over baking sheet. This will keep it warm while making the additional ones.

Tips and Notes

Oversoaking is the enemy here; just be sure to dip the bread quickly to soak each side, then put right into a hot pan. If the bread soaks too long in the batter, the inside becomes really heavy and soggy, and doesn’t cook all the way through.
Make sure the pan is completely hot before frying, otherwise the bread may stick to the pan and you’ll end up with a mess!
Use thicker bread since the thinner kind will get soggier faster.
Don’t have stale bread? Toast the bread lightly first. This will help the bread to stay crispy and not soggy.

How to Store

Fridge: You can either wrap French Toast in foil and just stick them in the fridge or store them in an airtight container. French Toast keep fine in the fridge for a week.
Freezer: Amazingly French toast freezes very well without losing any flavor when reheated.
First Allow it to cool. Put a sheet of wax or parchment paper in between each slice so they don’t stick together, and then wrap the stack tightly in foil or place them in a heavy-duty freezer bag. They last up to two months in the freezer.

How to Reheat in the Oven

To keep the same amazing consistency, the best option to reheating pan frances is in the oven but if you want to see all options, check these out:

Place in the microwave and set it to 50% power. Microwave for a couple of minutes or until warm.
Use your regular toaster if they fit in there. Kinda like a waffle 🙂
Pan fry leftovers in a mixture of butter and oil, just as when you prepared it the first time. You can even add the sugar and caramelize it again.
Heat your oven to 350 and place the toast in a single layer on a wire rack set over a baking sheet, until the toast is warmed, about 5-10 minutes.

A stack of toast slices on a white plate topped with blueberries and strawberries.

Pan Frances (French Toast)