This easy sourdough French toast recipe has taken weekend breakfasts from yum to YUM-O! It's a great option for finishing off the leftover sourdough loaf you dug into for dinner during the week or the fresh sourdough bread you grabbed at the farmer's market this morning. Using a simple custard base and a few minutes at the stove you too can enjoy this yummy twist on my challah French toast today!
It's a real toss up for me to pick the best French toast recipe out there. I love a french toast casserole and french toast with Hawaiian rolls, but this sourdough French toast variation is sneaking into the race quickly. The tangy flavor and chewier texture that comes from using sourdough bread instead of the softer challah is a nice surprise.
And I love that you can make this recipe from fresh or frozen bread. If you jumped on the homemade sourdough bread train in the last few years or just like supporting your local bakery, this recipe is for you!
Ingredients
- Sourdough bread: You can use store bought or homemade bread in this recipe. Fresh bread should be sliced and left to sit out for a bit and stale bread works great as well. Fresh sourdough just won't absorb the wet mixture as well as the bread that's a bit drier.
- Milk: You can use whole milk, skim milk, or even dairy-free milk. If you really want to make this decadent, you can swap heavy cream for ½ cup of the milk in this recipe.
How to make sourdough french toast
Start by slicing your sourdough loaf into slices to your desired thickness. Let the slices sit on the cutting board in one layer while you prepare the custard mixture.
Mix the eggs, milk, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon-sugar mix in a glass pie pan or square baking dish or mixing bowl. You want a shallow dish that will fit the slices of bread easily for dipping.
Heat a large frying pan over medium heat and melt butter in the pan to cover the entire bottom of the pan.
Dip a piece of bread into the egg mixture, making sure both sides of sourdough bread are covered.
Place each piece of bread into the pan and cook until golden brown, then flip and cook until golden brown on the second side.
Move cooked french toast slices to a serving dish and repeat process with remaining slices of bread.
How to Cut A Sourdough Loaf
A fresh loaf of sourdough bread can be tricky to cut into without a thought out strategy. Here's what I do when I have a crusty loaf to cut:
- Cut the loaf in half.
- Place the cut side onto the cutting board and carefully slice that half into ¼-1/2" bread slices.
- Repeat with the second half of the loaf.
I like to use a cutting glove when I slice crusty bread, especially stale sourdough, because getting through the crust can be tricky at first.
Favorite toppings
In my house we like our sourdough French toast slathered in delicious toppings. Some of our favorites are to put on the thick slices of toast are:
- Peanut butter and sliced bananas
- Blueberry syrup and blueberries
- Sweetened cream cheese and fresh berries
- Whipped cream and mini chocolate chips
- Homemade Cinnamon Sugar
Use your imagination and have fun with this. Sourdough is a sturdy bread and can stand up to these fun toppings more so than French toast made from regular bread.
How to store and reheat leftovers
French toast is one of my kiddos favorite breakfast items so I love to double the recipe and then freeze the leftovers for an easy breakfast during the week.
To store, simply place the cooled slices into an airtight container. Alternatively, you can wrap individual servings in aluminum foil and then pop into a freezer bag.
When you want to reheat it, you can put it into the toaster oven on bake (not toast) for a few minutes, or just pop into the microwave for 15-30 seconds.
One more simple tip
If you love cooking in a cast iron skillet, this is the recipe for you! Something about the delicious French toast from sourdough bread and the rustic feel of a cast iron skillet go great together. A cast iron skillet also makes a great serving dish for a big pile of cooked French toast on a brunch spread.
FAQ's
I typically serve this as a brunch recipe on the weekend, but it would great as a "breakfast for dinner" option as well. Simply serve with fresh fruit, yogurt parfaits or a spinach omelette and this sourdough French toast recipe becomes a full meal.
Yes, absolutely. Simply substitute the milk in the recipe with almond milk, oat milk or soy milk and continue with the recipe as written. For best results, you'll want to fry the french toast in a vegan butter substitute or coconut oil.
Other Awesome Breakfast Ideas
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📖 Recipe
Sourdough French Toast
Ingredients
- 1 loaf sourdough bread sliced
- 8 eggs
- 1 ¼ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon sugar mix
- butter for cooking
Instructions
- Slice the sourdough loaf and let sit on the cutting board.
- Mix the eggs, milk, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon-sugar mix in a glass pie pan or square baking dish.
- Heat a large frying pan over medium heat and melt butter in the pan to cover the bottom (about a Tablespoon)
- Dip a piece of bread into the bread mixture, making sure both sides of the sourdough bread are covered.
- Place each piece of bread into the pan and cook until golden brown, then flip and cook until golden brown on the second side
- Move cooked french toast slices to a serving dish and repeat process with remaining slices of bread.
Notes
- If you aren't going to serve the French toast right away, you can keep it warm in oven set on it's lowest temp. I wouldn't hold it more than an hour as you don't want to dry out the French toast.
- Be careful not to crowd the pan. It will take longer for the pieces to cook and they will likely cook and brown unevenly. I suggest no more than 2-3 slices of bread at a time.
- You can easily substitute plant based butter and almond or soy milk to make this dish dairy free.
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