The Absolute Best Way To Cook French Toast For A Crowd

The biggest drawback to French toast is that it's best made-to-order and served hot. That might seem like a challenge if you've got a bunch of hungry mouths to feed. However, it doesn't need to be a deal-breaker — just ask chef Kaleena Bliss. A veteran of high-end establishments in the Pacific Northwest, she now heads the kitchen at Cindy's, the restaurant in the Chicago Athletic Association Hotel. Bliss tells Mashed about the best kitchen appliance for cooking French toast for a crowd: the oven.

Start with whatever recipe you prefer (perhaps this decadent brioche French toast). But rather than heat a skillet, Bliss says, warm the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. After soaking your bread, lay the slices on a parchment-lined sheet pan — or, better yet, a sheet pan with a wire rack on it, which will help all sides to crisp up. (This trick also works for extra-crunchy bacon.) Then bake the slices about 15 minutes, flipping halfway through.

"For a bit of a golden finish, you can brush the tops with melted butter before baking," Bliss notes. "This method might not give you the same pan-seared richness, but it's practical for large batches." There's also a method for getting some of that pan-seared richness and feeding a crowd, she adds. It, too, involves the oven.

If you're cooking for a large gathering and want to work ahead, another option is to start the French toast on the stove. Lightly brown the slices on both sides in a skillet before transferring them to a baking sheet fitted with a rack, Kaleena Bliss says. When you're ready to eat, heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and put the pan full of French toast in it — here, too, that rack will help air circulate around the slices, helping them maintain crispness on the outside. "It's a great way to prep large batches without sacrificing too much quality," Bliss notes.

Interested in more tips for large-batch cooking? Well, you could always make an overnight French toast casserole. You'd simply mix up the wet ingredients, pour them over cubed bread, and let that soak in the fridge overnight before popping it into the oven the following morning. What you'll end up with is something sweet, creamy, and largely soft through and through. If you're worried that it lacks the exterior crispness of classic French toast, you don't need to be. In the recipe linked above, you'll sprinkle a little bit of cinnamon-infused crumble mix on top of the casserole just prior to baking. The dish will come out of the oven with a golden sheen, a crunchy top, and a heavenly fragrance.