The Laziest Way To Make French Toast Is Also The Most Delicious

I'm a great cook, but there's one breakfast dish that still eludes me: French toast. The custard is simple enough to assemble — mix eggs, cream or milk, cinnamon, and vanilla extract — but where my attempts fall flat is the execution. I need food in the mornings and lack the patience to stand idle over a stove while my breakfast cooks low and slow. My pan is always too hot, and I probably don't soak the bread long enough, so my French toast always ends up being dry. But my flawed execution changes today because I just learned that you could make the dish in the slow cooker

Prep the ingredients the day or night before, dump them in the slow cooker when you wake up, do your morning routine, then scoop and serve. Slow cooker French toast is a set-it-and-forget-it kind of breakfast that's ready in two hours if you cook it on high heat. Yes, it's a surprising food you can make in your slow cooker, but this method saves time and effort while yielding perfectly cooked, moist, and fluffy results.

To make French toast in your slow cooker, you first need to grease the inside so nothing sticks. Next, cube your bread of choice and toss it in. Mix the custard before pouring it in, then stir everything gently or use your hands to make sure the bread is coated. Ideally, you'll let the bread soak for at least an hour, but you don't have to. Top with butter or a brown sugar crumble for texture. Cook on high for two hours or on low for four hours.

My favorite bread to use is challah, but other popular options include brioche, King's Hawaiian Bread (some say it's the absolute best bread for elevated French toast), and Texas toast. The key to good French toast is to use stale bread, which absorbs more custard. Once you've got the essential ingredients sorted, elevate your French toast with unexpected mix-ins like cardamom, chocolate chips, fruits, and nuts. Vanilla pudding mix could also be your secret to game-changing French toast — simply mix one pouch into the custard.

If you prefer not to wait for hours but still want to make amazing French toast without standing in front of your cooktop, try this wake and bake French toast casserole; the soaked bread sits overnight in the fridge, then you bake it for 40 minutes. Whether you make French toast in a slow cooker or in the oven, either method guarantees you won't burn it — as long as you keep an eye on the clock.