Sourdough French toast is the classic breakfast, kicked up a notch with tangy and chewy sourdough bread, and takes only minutes to prepare! With a chewy, tender middle, and golden brown crust, French toast is a treat you can enjoy any time of day. It's super simple to make and only calls for a handful of ingredients.
While you can make it with plain sourdough bread, why not boost it from the ground up with cinnamon raisin sourdough, apricot sourdough, or festive cranberry sourdough bread!
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Ingredients
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Cream: this will make for the richest French toast. Milk can be used if you'd prefer something a little lighter.
- Cinnamon: substitute other spices for cinnamon if preferred. Cardamom is nice.
- Butter: a light-tasting oil can be used in place of butter.
- Salt: if you're frying the toast in salted butter, omit the added salt from the custard.
- Vanilla: use any extract you like in place of vanilla, but note that you'll probably need less, especially for something like almond extract.
- Add-ins: try grating some orange zest into the custard or adding a dash of a flavoured liqueur.
- Make it dairy-free: use non-dairy milk in place of the cream and fry the toast in vegan butter or something like coconut oil.
Method
Step 1: whisk the egg, cream, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt together in a shallow bowl.
Step 2: dredge the sourdough bread slices in the custard mixture, soaking both sides.
Step 3: fry the bread in butter until both sides are golden.
Step 4: serve hot with maple syrup and any other toppings.
Top Tips
- Keep it warm: if you need more than one serving of French toast, simply preheat your oven to the lowest temperature before you begin. Fry the French toast, then keep it warm in the oven, in a baking dish, while you cook the rest.
- Use day-old sourdough: it's easier to slice and better suited to soaking up rich egg custard than a fresh, moist loaf.
- Use a flavoured loaf: try making French toast with cinnamon raisin sourdough or apricot sourdough bread for a bit of a twist.
Recipe Notes
It's key that the bread soaks up all of the custard, so give it enough time to do that. Turn it as often as needed to make sure it fully soaks in. This is why slightly stale bread is ideal for French toast!
Of course real maple syrup is the best topping - we are Canadian, after all - but fresh fruit, jam and jelly, other syrups, candied nuts, yogurt, cream, and more are all excellent French toast toppings too. Get as creative as you'd like.
How to Store
Storage: since this is a single-serving recipe, you probably won't have any leftovers. If you do, keep the toast in a sealed container (or simply covered with a plate) in the fridge for a day or two. Reheat in a frying pan to crisp it back up a bit before serving.
Freezing: to freeze, cook as many servings as you like. Let them cool then freeze them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Once frozen, store the slices in a freezer-safe airtight container. To reheat, cook from frozen in a toaster, frying pan, toaster oven, or regular oven until heated through.
FAQ
What is the trick to French toast?
The key to perfect French toast is soaking the bread until it fully absorbs the custard, and then frying in a hot pan. This makes a nice toasty outside and custardy, soft middle.
What is the most common mistake in making French toast?
The most common mistakes are not mixing the custard enough - it should be very smooth - and not soaking the bread for long enough. If you get a dry middle or bits of egg on your toast, these are the culprits.
What is the trick to not soggy French toast?
For perfectly crisp French toast with a nice soft centre, you need to have the frying pan at a fairly high heat to brown the outside of the toast.
More Great Brunch Recipes
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Sourdough French Toast
Equipment
- Large shallow bowl
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Tongs
- Measuring spoons
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon 35% heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
- 1 pinch salt
- 3 slices day-old sourdough bread cut ½ to ¾-inch (1-¼ to 2-cm) thick
- Butter for frying about 1 tablespoon per serving
Instructions
- Place the egg, heavy cream, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt in a large shallow bowl, or somewhat deep-sided plate. Mix everything together with a whisk or fork until well combined.
- Lay the three slices of sourdough bread on top of the egg mixture. Let the pieces of bread sit for a minute or two to soak up the custard. You can use your hands to move the bread around and soak up the egg.
- Flip the bread over and repeat. Keep moving the bread around the plate, flipping it back and forth between both sides, until most of the custard is soaked up.
- Set the plate aside while your pan preheats to absorb the last of the custard.
- Preheat a skillet, large enough to hold the three slices, over medium heat.
- When the pan is hot add the butter to it. If the butter spatters instantly and begins to brown, reduce the heat a bit.
- Use tongs to arrange the bread inside the bottom of the hot pan.
- Let the sourdough French toast cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until golden (move the pieces of bread around occasionally while cooking to ensure they soak up all of that delicious butter in the pan).
- Flip each piece over and repeat, cooking the other side of the bread until golden.
- Remove the French toast from the pan, and serve immediately.
- If you're making more than one serving, you can keep the cooked French toast warm in a baking dish in the oven on low heat.
- Serve with maple syrup, fresh berries, whipped cream, and a sprinkle of powdered sugar (or any other toppings you like).