This Pan Frances (French toast) is a melt-in-your-mouth delicious recipe, topped with cinnamon sugar and syrup. This is the perfect weekend breakfast and it’s ready to be enjoyed in under 30 minutes.

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

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.

Why you’ll love this recipe

  • Ready in under 30: whether you’re making this French toast recipe for Sunday brunch, or in the morning before school, they are ready in less than 30 minutes.
  • Simple ingredients: you only need a few easy to find ingredients for this French toast.
  • Easy to freeze: bonus! French toast is a great recipe to meal prep and keep in the freezer for an easy breakfast during week.
A stack of Pan Frances slices on a white plate topped with blueberries and strawberries.

Ingredients

  • Eggs: 2 large eggs and 2 egg yolks.
  • Milk: Use your favorite milk. Feel free to use a dairy-free milk such as almond or oat milk.
  • Flavorings: brown sugar, ground cinnamon, a pinch of salt and vanilla extract.
  • The bread: Use a thick kind but if you have regular bread it’ll work too. I often use french bread left to be stale for a day and the toast comes out wonderful! Other popular kind is challah bread.
  • Butter for cooking.
  • Toppings: Your favorite syrup for serving, powder sugar and/or fresh fruit.

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!
All ingredients for this recipe placed on a pretty white platter on a gray board.

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.
  1. In a shallow bowl, add the eggs & yolks, milk, sugar, cinnamon, salt and vanilla.
Whisking eggs and milk in a large bowl.
  1. Whisk until foamy and smooth. Set aside.
  2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.
A slice of bread dipped in an egg, milk with cinnamon mixture on a large bowl.
  1. Place 1 or 2 slices of bread at the time in the bowl with the egg mixture,
A slice of bread dipped in an egg, milk with cinnamon mixture on a large bowl.

turning, until saturated. Do not over soak since it will result in mushy french toast.

  1. 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.
  1. 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 For The Perfect Pan Frances

  • 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.



Storing

  • In 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.
  • To Thaw. Let it sit in the fridge overnight
A stack of french toast on a white plate.

How to Reheat Pan Frances 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.

If you make this recipe be sure to leave a rating in the comments below. You can also tag me on Instagram at @anafriasb.

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

Pan Frances (French Toast)

Servings 3 people
Ana Frias
5 from 8 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
This Pan Frances (French toast) is a melt-in-your-mouth delicious recipe, topped with cinnamon sugar and syrup. This is the perfect weekend breakfast and it's ready to be enjoyed in under 30 minutes.

Equipment

  • Nonstick skillet
3 people

Ingredients  

  • 6 to 8 slices thick bread, challah or brioche bread
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 egg yolks
  • ¾ cup Milk
  • 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
  • unsalted butter for cooking.
  • Your favorite syrup and fruit for serving.

Instructions 

  • 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.
    6 to 8 slices thick bread, challah or brioche bread
  • In a shallow bowl, whisk the eggs & yolks, milk, sugar, cinnamon, salt and vanilla, until foamy and smooth. Set aside.
    2 large eggs, 2 egg yolks, ¾ cup Milk, 1 Tablespoon brown sugar, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, pinch of salt, 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
  • Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.
  • Place a small amount of butter (enough to coat the bottom of the skillet when melted) in the skillet and melt.
    unsalted butter for cooking.
  • Place 1 or 2 slices of bread at the time in the bowl with the egg mixture, turning, until saturated. Do not soak!
  • 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.  
  • Serve immediately, or transfer to the oven to keep warm while cooking remaining bread.
  • Top with maple syrup, berries, jam, sliced bananas, or whatever you'd like.

Muy Delish 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!
  • Don’t have stale bread? Toast the bread lightly first. This will help the bread to stay crispy and not soggy. Calories do not include the count for syrup or toppings. 

Add Your Own Private Notes

Whenever you come back to this recipe, you’ll be able to see your notes.

Nutrition

Serving: 2toasts | Calories: 174kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 116mg | Sodium: 176mg | Potassium: 19mg | Sugar: 6g

The nutritional information and US conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this data. If this is important to you, please verify with your favourite nutrition calculator and/or unit conversion tool.

If you’d like, you can follow me too on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube!

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




5 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This is an absolutely perfect French toast recipe, definitely one I’ll be making again for weekend breakfasts. Thanks for sharing!

  2. 5 stars
    With this Pan Frances recipe, they always come out crispy on the outside and soft inside (but not mushy). The flavor is amazing too!