Wanna hear all about this amazing cereal crusted French toast recipe? You should!
I have fun cooking and baking for my family all the time. They generally like what I make, and some of the recipes I post become family favorites that make it into the regular rotation. Then there are the recipes they taste that cause Little Miss to turn to me and say, “Mommy, I buv you!”
No, it isn’t that she loves me, she “buvs” me. That’s apparently even more powerful than loving me and comes out only when there’s something extra special to cause it, like the Honey Nut Cheerios cereal crusted French toast I made for them earlier this week as one of the six fun ways to enjoy your cereal.
She ate five pieces.
Now here’s my dirty little secret. I don’t actually like French toast myself, but according to my family, I make some of the best French toast they’ve ever eaten, and that includes the ones they order in restaurants. Go fig. I can’t vouch for this because I never eat it, but they rave about it and beg me to make more whenever I cook some up, so that’s a good sign, right?
The secret to my French toast – whether I’m making this cereal crusted French toast or more traditional French toast – is to ensure that the custard mix I’m creating has a ton of great flavor. I switch it up on a regular basis, depending on my mood, but I kept it fairly simple for this because the Honey Nut Cheerios add their own flavor to the cereal crusted French toast.
How to Make Cereal Crusted French Toast
Fortunately, this recipe takes just a couple minutes longer than “regular” French toast. The only real difference is adding the cereal. To ensure that the cereal sticks, you want to crush it slightly. The perfectly formed edges don’t want to adhere to your bread, but when you break it up a bit – not crushed but broken up – the sharper and more irregular edges stay much better.
To crush your cereal, place it in a plastic bag and gently press out the majority of the air. If you leave air in it, your bag will pop and it will be harder to crush your cereal, as well. Use a rolling pin to gently crush your cereal. Again, you don’t want crumbs, just the cereal broken up somewhat. If you don’t have a rolling pin, you can use the heel of your hand.
Place your crushed cereal – I used Honey Nut Cheerios this time around, but there are plenty of other cereals that would work just as well – onto a plate that has a lip so they don’t slide out.
Prep your custard mix, which is where a ton of your flavor will come from. Whisk eggs in a bowl and add your milk and vanilla. Whisk that until it’s a homogeneous mixture. Add the cinnamon and nutmeg and whisk again.
For your actual toast, you want to use a good quality bread that will stand up to a soaking in the custard mix. This is the perfect use for that loaf of French or Italian bread you picked up but didn’t finish. When it’s just a tiny bit past that point of perfect freshness, that’s what you’re looking for. I also love doing French toast with challah, but when I’m making cereal crusted French toast with another richer ingredient, I will go for something a little less rich on its own.
Slice your bread into nice, thick slices. You want them to be about an inch thick so they can absorb the custard mix without becoming completely saturated. If they’re too thin, they’ll break and fall apart once you dip them in the custard mixture.
Once you have your ingredients ready, heat your griddle. I heat mine to 350 degrees, just like I do when I’m making pancakes. If you don’t have a griddle, go ahead and use a fry pan heated to medium. You want to grease it lightly, then set up your prep station. Bread first, then the custard mix, and finally the crushed cereal.
Dip your bread into the custard mix, pressing it gently to ensure it soaks up some of the mix beyond just the surface level.
Immediately place your bread on the cereal mix and press gently from the sides to encourage the cereal to adhere to the bread. Gently flip it over and do the same for the other side.
Place your bread onto the griddle and do the same for your remaining bread slices. This recipe will make enough for 8 or so cereal crusted French toast slices.
Once your bread is on the griddle for about five minutes, you’ll want to carefully flip it using a spatula to ensure that the cereal stays on it. The cereal should be lightly browned (especially if your grease for the griddle was bacon grease!). Do the same for the other side.
Remove from the griddle once your cereal crusted French toast is cooked through and serve immediately. This doesn’t keep that well once it cools, but we’ve never had leftovers!
My family loves this cereal crusted French toast. What’s your favorite breakfast recipe?
Cereal Crusted French Toast
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 3 cups Honey Nut Cheerios
- 8 thick slices good quality bread
Instructions
- Preheat your griddle to 350 degrees (or a fry pan to medium) and grease lightly.
- Place your cereal in a plastic bag and remove as much air as you easily can. Gently crush your cereal. You don't want crumbs but you want it to not be perfectly regular pieces anymore.
- In a bowl, add your eggs and whisk until smooth. Add the milk and vanilla and whisk again until the mixture is fully incorporated. Add the cinnamon and nutmeg and whisk again briefly, just to get the spices throughout your custard mixture.3 eggs, 1 cup milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- Slice your bread into 1 inch thick slices.
- Prep your station by having the bread set up first, the custard mix in a bowl next, and the crushed cereal in a plate with a lip last.3 cups Honey Nut Cheerios, 8 thick slices good quality bread
- Dip your bread into the custard mix, letting it soak in just a little bit on each side but not fully saturating the slice. Gently press the bread into the cereal to coat the top and bottom, then place on your griddle.
- Continue with the remaining bread slices. Cook on each side for about five minutes each, flipping carefully with a spatula to ensure the cereal stays in place.
- Once both sides are lightly browned and the French toast is cooked through, serve immediately.
Notes
- Make this with any cereal you like, and this easily doubles or triples to feed a crowd.
- For more tips and tricks, be sure to read the full article above.
Nutrition
This site uses an online source to provide nutrition estimates as a courtesy. If you need exact values, please calculate yourself.
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My son should try to make this, this is a child-friendly recipe. Thank you for linking up to Creative K Kids’ Tasty Tuesdays. I have pinned your post to our Tasty Tuesdays Pinterest Board.
I LOVE French Toast. And most days, I like mine the best (although the banana bread french toast at Egg Harbor is something I miss dearly).
You are welcome to make it for me any day.
When you come visit, I promise to make you some. Deal?
[…] And when you crush up a little cereal and add it to the recipe, and you knock it out of the park. Honey Nut Cheerios crusted French toast takes it up just a notch and not only has a fabulous presentation but tastes amazing. It’s […]