French Toast Roll-Ups
My kids won’t eat nalesniki because “they look weird.” But roll the same cheese filling inside french toast and suddenly they’re DELICIOUS. The hypocrisy of children is breathtaking.
Ingredients
- 8 slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed
- 3 eggs
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons butter for frying
For Filling (Choose One or Mix)
- Classic Polish: 1/2 cup farmer cheese or ricotta + 2 tablespoons sugar + 1/2 teaspoon vanilla twarog
- Nutella: A generous smear per roll
- Cream cheese & jam: Cream cheese spread + any jam or preserves
- Peanut butter & banana: PB + thin banana slices
For Coating
- 1/4 cup sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Method
Flatten the Bread
-
Cut the crusts off each slice. Use a rolling pin to flatten each slice until thin and pliable — about half its original thickness. This step is what makes the roll-ups work. Un-flattened bread is too thick and cracks when you roll it. Flattened bread becomes almost crepe-like, which is exactly the nalesniki connection I’m going for.
Fill and Roll
-
Spread your chosen filling across each flattened bread slice, leaving a small border at the edges. Roll tightly — like a little log. Press the seam down gently so it stays closed. The filling should be thin enough that the roll stays tight. Too much filling and it bursts open when frying, which is messy but still delicious.
Dip and Fry
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Whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon. Heat butter in a skillet over medium heat. Dip each roll in the egg mixture, coating all sides. Place seam-side down in the skillet. Cook 2-3 minutes per side, turning to brown all over — about 4 sides total. They should be golden brown and slightly crispy on the outside, warm and gooey inside.
Coat and Serve
-
While still warm, roll each one in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. The sugar sticks to the buttery surface and creates a sweet, crunchy coating. Serve immediately with maple syrup for dipping, fresh berries, or a dusting of powdered sugar. Watch them disappear.
French Toast Roll-Ups — The Handheld Breakfast My Kids Go Wild For
My kids won’t eat nalesniki because “they look weird.” But roll the same cheese filling inside french toast and suddenly they’re DELICIOUS. The hypocrisy of children is breathtaking.
Nalesniki (nah-LESH-nee-kee) are Polish crepes filled with sweet farmer cheese — twarog mixed with sugar and vanilla, rolled up and pan-fried in butter. They were my favourite breakfast growing up. My babcia made them every Saturday. They’re beautiful, delicious, and apparently “weird-looking” to children raised on American breakfast. So I adapted. I took the same concept — sweet cheese filling inside a thin wrapper — and put it inside flattened bread rolled into little logs and fried golden. French toast roll-ups. Same soul, different packaging. My kids eat four each without knowing they’re eating a Polish breakfast. Parenting is 90% rebranding.
Ingredients
- • 8 slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed
- • 3 eggs
- • 1/3 cup milk
- • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- • 2 tablespoons butter for frying
For Filling (Choose One or Mix)
- • Classic Polish: 1/2 cup farmer cheese (twarog) or ricotta + 2 tablespoons sugar + 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- • Nutella: A generous smear per roll
- • Cream cheese & jam: Cream cheese spread + any jam or preserves
- • Peanut butter & banana: PB + thin banana slices
For Coating
- • 1/4 cup sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon cinnamon
How to Make Them
Flatten the Bread
Cut the crusts off each slice. Use a rolling pin to flatten each slice until thin and pliable — about half its original thickness. This step is what makes the roll-ups work. Un-flattened bread is too thick and cracks when you roll it. Flattened bread becomes almost crepe-like, which is exactly the nalesniki connection I’m going for.
Fill and Roll
Spread your chosen filling across each flattened bread slice, leaving a small border at the edges. Roll tightly — like a little log. Press the seam down gently so it stays closed. The filling should be thin enough that the roll stays tight. Too much filling and it bursts open when frying, which is messy but still delicious.
Dip and Fry
Whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon. Heat butter in a skillet over medium heat. Dip each roll in the egg mixture, coating all sides. Place seam-side down in the skillet. Cook 2-3 minutes per side, turning to brown all over — about 4 sides total. They should be golden brown and slightly crispy on the outside, warm and gooey inside.
Coat and Serve
While still warm, roll each one in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. The sugar sticks to the buttery surface and creates a sweet, crunchy coating. Serve immediately with maple syrup for dipping, fresh berries, or a dusting of powdered sugar. Watch them disappear.
The Nalesniki Connection
If you’ve never had nalesniki, imagine a thin Polish crepe filled with sweet cheese, rolled up, and pan-fried until golden. They’re one of Poland’s most beloved breakfasts and desserts. My babcia’s version used fresh twarog from the Polish deli, mixed with just enough sugar and vanilla to make it sweet without being dessert. When I use the farmer cheese filling in these french toast roll-ups, it’s essentially nalesniki in disguise. The bread replaces the crepe, the egg dip replaces the egg in the crepe batter, and the frying step is identical. My kids get their “normal” breakfast, I get my Polish nostalgia, and babcia’s recipe lives on in a format that doesn’t get rejected for looking weird.
Tips
💡 Pro Tips
✓ Use fresh, soft bread. Day-old bread is too dry and cracks when rolling. Soft sandwich bread works best.
✓ Roll tightly. Loose rolls fall apart in the pan. Tight rolls hold their shape and cook evenly.
✓ Medium heat. Too hot and the outside burns before the inside warms through. Medium gives you golden, even browning.
✓ Seam-side down first. This seals the roll closed so it doesn’t unravel while cooking.
Variations
• Savoury version: Fill with ham and cheese instead of sweet fillings. Skip the cinnamon-sugar coating. Serve with ketchup for dipping. My boys love this for breakfast-for-dinner nights.
• Berry compote: Make a quick berry sauce (frozen berries + sugar + heat for 5 minutes) and drizzle over the top instead of syrup.
• Make-ahead: Fill and roll the night before, refrigerate. Dip and fry in the morning. Saves 10 minutes of morning chaos.
How to Store
Best eaten fresh, but leftovers keep 2 days in the fridge. Reheat in a skillet or toaster oven to re-crisp. They freeze okay — freeze individually on a sheet pan, then bag them. Reheat from frozen in a 175C / 350F oven for 10 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use whole wheat bread?
You can, but it doesn’t roll as smoothly as white bread — it tends to crack. If you want a healthier option, use the softest whole wheat bread you can find and flatten it very thoroughly.
Where can I find twarog/farmer cheese?
Polish delis, some European grocery stores, or the specialty cheese section of larger supermarkets. If you can’t find it, full-fat ricotta mixed with a tablespoon of sour cream is the closest substitute.
Sunday Morning Ritual
French toast roll-ups have become our Sunday morning thing. Saturday mornings are for sleeping in (as much as four kids allow, which is not much). But Sundays are for a real sit-down breakfast, and these roll-ups are the centrepiece. I set up a little assembly line: I flatten and fill, my daughter rolls, and the boys fight over who gets to do the cinnamon-sugar coating. It’s chaotic and inefficient and flour ends up everywhere, but it’s the kind of chaos that becomes a memory. My babcia and I used to make nalesniki together the same way — her rolling, me watching, flour on both of us. Kitchens are where family happens, and this recipe is where Polish Mom tradition meets American Sunday morning. Smacznego (that’s “bon appetit” in Polish) — enjoy every bite.