The Best Sourdough French Toast (Video)

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Enjoy the best sourdough french toast made with simple ingredients in your very own home.  This luxury breakfast is simple, fast and easy to make, and will quickly become one of your go to breakfasts in no time.  I’ve been making some version of this homemade french toast recipe for over 25 years.  But when I started making my own sourdough bread about 15 years ago, that’s when I discovered how amazing french toast is when made with sourdough!  Sourdough bread makes the best french toast because it holds up really well when soaked in the egg and milk mixture.  It has a rich tangy flavor and browns so beautifully especially when made in a cast iron pan, and is delicious with homemade butter and buttermilk syrup, eggs and fresh fruit.  This easy breakfast is quick enough for weekday mornings, but is also great for weekend breakfasts or a more special occasion like a holiday brunch.

sourdough french toast and eggs

Quick And Easy

When I’m in a hurry, and still want a hearty breakfast for my family, I often make french toast.  It’s faster to make than waffles or pancakes, because the bread toasts so quickly on the pan.  If my bread is thawed out, I can have breakfast on the table in less than 10 minutes.  My family is always very excited when they hear we’re having french toast – especially sourdough french toast.  (See video below).

Eat Seasonally

I also like the way that sourdough french toast can change with the seasons.  It’s easily paired with fresh berries and whip cream in the summertime, apple syrup in the fall, caramel, chocolate chips and whipped cream in the winter, and buttermilk syrup or peanut butter and applesauce in the spring.  We like to have it with a side of over easy or scrambled eggs for extra protein.  It’s also extra delicious when made with cinnamon raisin sourdough bread.  We try to eat fresh fruit whenever possible, but in the winter and early spring we like to eat our french toast with canned peaches or applesauce from our homestead pantry.  Eating seasonally saves on our grocery bill immensely, and helps us to eat the healthiest and freshest food possible.

Grow Your Own Food

We are passionate about being as self-sufficient as possible when it comes to our food.  We’re always looking for meals that are made with ingredients that we can produce on our own homestead or easily keep stocked in our pantry.  This sourdough french toast is made with homemade sourdough bread made without any added yeast, and then paired with our homemade buttermilk syrup made from the buttermilk from our Jersey milk cows.  Also served with farm fresh eggs and berries from our garden.  This literally means that the only thing we didn’t produce for the entire meal is the flour, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla (which was actually homemade as well).  There’s something about making a meal like from scratch that is so special.  Making the bread, soaking it in our raw milk and fresh eggs, and frying it in our homemade butter is so satisfying.  And knowing that I could make this meal straight out of my pantry 100 times over without ever having to go to the grocery store is priceless!

Sourdough Bread

I make my own sourdough bread weekly.  Sometimes I make artisan sourdough bread, or my soft sourdough sandwich bread, and either one makes the best sourdough french toast.  If I see that I have a loaf of bread that isn’t as fresh as we’d like it to be, I can easily turn it into french toast and no one knows the difference.  Learning this kind of frugality and flexibility in the kitchen helps to reduce food waste and lower your grocery bill. 

loaf of sourdough sandwich bread

What are the health benefits of sourdough?

Anytime you add a fermented element like sourdough to a recipe, it becomes more nutritious because it contains live probiotics and good bacteria that help with gut health and digestion.  Gluten and phytic acid are naturally present in wheat, and are usually what is to blame for people not being able to digest gluten well.  When the grain is fermented through the sourdough process, the gluten and phytic acid are broken down, making it easier to digest.  A lot of people that struggle with gluten intolerance (not people with celiac), can digest food made with sourdough without any issue, especially if the recipe is allowed to sit out for a few hours and “long ferment”.   

In addition, phytic acid is an anti-nutrient that blocks absorption of the nutrients found in wheat. During the sourdough fermentation process, the phytic acid gets broken down and the nutrients are more bio-available to the body. This is why baking with sourdough is so important for our health, and why this sourdough french toast will be easier for your body to digest.

If you’d like to learn more about how to make your very own sourdough starter, click here.  

bubbly sourdough starter

For lots more sourdough recipes, and tips and tricks visit the sourdough section of the blog here.

Tips For Making The Best Sourdough French Toast

  • Making sourdough french toast is a great way to use up leftover or stale sourdough bread
  • If using a drier artisan like sourdough bread, soak in the egg/milk mixture for up to two minutes on each side
  • For the most beautiful golden slices of french toast, cook in a cast iron pan greased with butter
  • This recipe is very flexible, you don’t have to measure anything exact and it will still turn out good.
  • Thick slices of bread make the best french toast because it can soak up more of the egg/milk mixture
  • If you run out of the egg/milk mixture before you run out of bread, it’s really easy to just add a little bit more of the ingredients to the bowl so you can finish turning your bread into delicious french toast
  • If you’d like to make this recipe without sugar, you certainly can.  Serve the french toast with honey and fresh fruit and you’d easily have a sugar free meal.
  • Make sure your pan is pre-heated before adding your french toast.  I like to cook it on medium heat at first, and then turn it down to make sure it cooks all the way through.
flipping sourdough french toast

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FAQ:

Can you make sourdough french toast dairy free?

Yes, you can make sourdough french toast dairy free.  Just substitute any kind of milk in the recipe, and fry in coconut oil instead of butter.

Can you freeze sourdough french toast?

Yes, you can freeze sourdough french toast.  If you want to be able to just take out a slice or two to eat, then put pieces of parchment paper between each slice before freezing.  Keeps in a freezer bag or other airtight container for up to three months in the freezer.  Can easily be reheated in a toaster oven for a delicious breakfast treat later on.

Ingredients:

Leftover Sourdough Bread – it’s really easy to make your own.  Here are my favorite recipes for artisan sourdough bread and sourdough sandwich bread.  If you don’t have sourdough bread, you can make this same recipe with any kind of bread.

Heavy Cream, Half and Half or Milk – I like to use our very own raw milk and cream from our Jersey cows, but you could use almond milk, coconut milk or any kind of milk you have on hand.  Buttermilk even works great.

Eggs – farm fresh eggs are always the best and have the most nutrients

Sweetener – you can use sugar, honey, maple syrup or any other kind of sweetener in this recipe

Cinnamon – I like to buy my cinnamon in bulk from Azure Standard.  That way I never run out during canning season or when I’m cooking from scratch as I always do.

Vanilla – I use my own homemade vanilla extract.  (You can also make this with maple flavoring instead of vanilla)

Salt – I like to use Redmond real salt

Butter – we use our homemade butter for making the french toast extra yummy, but you can use coconut oil, beef tallow or whatever you have to grease your skillet

homemade butter

Tools You May Need:

Cast Iron Skillet – sourdough and cast iron seem to have been made for each other.  I love how the cast iron cooks things evenly and gives it a nice golden color.  I like to use a large skillet for my family of seven.

Mixing bowls

Measuring cups and spoons

Whisk

Spatula

Sharp Knife for slicing sourdough bread

How To Make The Best Sourdough French Toast

Pre-heat cast iron pan on medium heat.

Slice sourdough bread into thick slices

slicing cinnamon raisin bread for sourdough french toast

To a mixing bowl add cream or milk, eggs, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla.  Mix well using a whisk.

milk mixture for sourdough french toast

Soak each piece of sourdough bread in egg/milk mixture briefly on each side and place in hot skillet.  If using crusy sourdough bread, you might have to soak it a little bit longer.

cooking sourdough french toast

Cook for 2-3 minutes and flip to the other side using a spatula.  

sourdough french toast with eggs

After 2-3 more minutes check to see that the second side is golden brown and fully cooked.

Remove to a plate or platter and serve with homemade butter, buttermilk syrup, maple syrup or jam.  

sourdough french with buttermilk syrup

If you have leftover french toast, it can be frozen for up to three months in an airtight container.

If you try this recipe, let me know by leaving a comment.

And if you like it? Give it a 5 star rating!

https://youtu.be/4KvZ5mOJ_DQ?si=NRsF-55zdlDBq7EQ

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easy sourdough french toast
Yield: 8 servings

The Best Sourdough French Toast

sourdough french toast with butter and buttermilk syrup

Enjoy the best sourdough french toast made with simple ingredients in your very own home.  This luxury breakfast is simple, fast and easy to make, and will quickly become one of your go to breakfasts in no time.

Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 loaf sourdough bread cut into 6-18 slices
  • 6 eggs
  • 1 c. milk
  • 1/2 c. cream
  • 1/4 c. sugar, honey or maple syrup
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Instructions

Pre-heat cast iron pan on medium heat.

Slice sourdough bread into thick slices

To a mixing bowl add cream or milk, eggs, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla.  Mix well using a whisk.

Soak each piece of sourdough bread in egg/milk mixture briefly on each side and place in hot skillet.  If using crusy sourdough bread, you might have to soak it a little bit longer.

Cook for 2-3 minutes and flip to the other side using a spatula.  

After 2-3 more minutes check to see that the second side is golden brown and fully cooked.

Remove to a plate or platter and serve with homemade butter, buttermilk syrup, maple syrup or jam.

Notes

If you have leftover french toast, it can be frozen for up to three months in an airtight container.

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4 Comments

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