Sourdough French toast is French toast made with thick slices of day-old sourdough bread, soaked in an egg and milk custard, then cooked in butter until the outside is crisp and golden and the center is soft and set. Because sourdough has a firm, open crumb and a real crust, it needs a longer soak than sandwich bread: as a rule of thumb, 1 to 2 minutes per side for a 3/4-inch slice of day-old bread. Its gentle tang keeps the sweet egg mixture and maple syrup from tasting flat.
Below: why sourdough works so well, how to get a loaf ready (including one you bake from frozen), soak times by thickness, a full recipe, a raisin and walnut version, a savory one, an oven method for a crowd, and how to freeze and reheat the leftovers.
Why sourdough makes better French toast
French toast is a balance between bread and egg mixture. Soft bread drinks it fast and can collapse into a soggy middle. Sourdough holds on:
- A sturdy crumb. A naturally leavened loaf has a chewier, more open interior than soft white bread. It takes in a lot of liquid and still keeps its shape in the skillet.
- A crust that crisps. The edges fry in the butter and turn crunchy, while the inside stays tender, almost like bread pudding.
- Flavor that stands up to sugar. A slow fermentation gives sourdough a mild tang. Under syrup, berries or jam, that little bit of acidity keeps every bite bright instead of heavy.
In our bakeries, our sourdough breads ferment slowly, for up to 48 hours, as we tell in the Fresh Baguette story. A lean loaf like this is the opposite of brioche or challah: less rich on its own, which is exactly why it carries a generous custard so well.
How to get the bread ready
Good French toast with sourdough starts the night before. A loaf that has had a night to firm up cuts cleanly, soaks evenly, and does not fall apart when you flip it.
Step 1: Finish the loaf
If you use our organic Sourdough Loaf, it arrives par-baked and frozen, and you finish it at home. Preheat the oven to 430°F, remove all the packaging, and set the frozen loaf directly on the middle rack, with no baking sheet. Bake for 16 to 23 minutes. Our baker's tip from the product page: run a little water over the back of the loaf first, for a crisp crust that does not get too hard. The Raisin & Walnut Sourdough bakes the same way, but not every bread in our par-baked bread range does, so check the instructions on each product page.
Step 2: Let it rest, then wait overnight
Let the loaf cool for at least 20 minutes before you slice it: the bread keeps baking as it rests, and cutting too early leaves a gummy crumb. For French toast, go further. Enjoy it fresh the first evening, then keep the rest in a zip-lock bag at room temperature overnight. The next morning it is firmer and slightly drier, which is just what you want.
Step 3: Slice thick
Cut it 3/4 inch to 1 inch thick. Thinner pieces turn floppy once soaked; much thicker ones need an oven finish (see below). The loaf comes whole or sliced: take it whole when you want to choose the thickness yourself. Count your slices once the loaf is cut: at two slices per person, you will know right away how many people it feeds.
No time to wait overnight? A common trick is to lay the cut bread on a baking sheet and dry it in a 300°F oven for 5 minutes or so per side, until the surface feels dry but has not colored. Let it cool, then soak as usual.
The loaf for your French toast
Our organic Sourdough Loaf ships par-baked and frozen. Bake it at 430°F on the rack for 16 to 23 minutes, rest 20 minutes, then slice it thick the next morning. One of the 4 to 12 packs in your box.
See the Sourdough LoafHow long to soak sourdough for French toast?
Longer than you would think, and longer than for a sandwich loaf. Sourdough's firm crumb and crust slow the liquid down, so a quick dip leaves a dry center. Press the middle with a finger: it should feel soft and heavy all the way through, with no dry core, but it should not be dripping or tearing. The rest of the loaf can go into garlic bread for pasta night.
| Bread and slice | Soak time per side | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| Soft sandwich bread, 1/2 inch | A few seconds | Wet surface; it soaks through almost at once |
| Fresh sourdough, 3/4 inch | 30 to 60 seconds | Soft but still holding; handle gently |
| Day-old sourdough, 3/4 inch | 1 to 2 minutes | Soft all the way through when pressed |
| Day-old or dried sourdough, 1 inch | 2 to 3 minutes | Heavy and soft; finish these in the oven |
| Raisin and walnut sourdough, 3/4 inch | 1 to 2 minutes | Same as plain; the fruit softens with the crumb |
Soak only one or two pieces at a time, just ahead of cooking them. Bread left sitting in the mixture while the rest cooks goes too far. Not sure sourdough is the right loaf for you? Compare the options in our guide to the best bread for French toast.
Sourdough French toast recipe
This is a general home-cooking method for the classic version, using the proportions most recipes share. It makes 8 slices, enough for 4 people.
Ingredients
- 8 slices day-old sourdough bread, 3/4 inch thick
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup half-and-half (or whole milk for a lighter custard, or heavy cream for a richer one)
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar or granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- A pinch of ground nutmeg, optional
- 2 to 3 tablespoons butter, plus a little neutral oil, for the pan
Instructions
- Warm the oven. Heat the oven to 200°F and set a wire rack on a baking sheet, to keep the finished toast warm and crisp.
- Make the egg mixture. In a wide, shallow dish, whisk the sugar, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg, then whisk in the eggs, half-and-half and vanilla until no streaks of egg white remain.
- Heat the skillet. Warm a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Add a teaspoon of oil and a pat of butter: the oil helps the bread brown evenly, the butter gives the flavor.
- Soak. Soak two slices, following the table above, and let the extra drip back into the dish.
- Cook. Cook 3 to 4 minutes per side, until deep golden and crisp at the edges. If the outside browns too fast, lower the heat to medium-low: sourdough needs time for the center to set.
- Keep warm. Move them to the rack in the oven. Wipe the skillet if the butter darkens, add more butter and oil, and repeat. Whisk the mixture between batches, since the cinnamon settles.
Serve right away. It is done when the center springs back when pressed and no wet custard shows when you cut into it.
Thick-cut slices: finish them in the oven
For 1-inch slices, the outside is ready well ahead of the middle. The usual fix: brown them on the stove for 2 to 3 minutes per side, then move them to a baking sheet in a 350°F oven for 5 to 8 more, until the center is set. You get a crisp crust and a custardy middle without burnt butter.
Raisin and walnut sourdough French toast
This is the version for people who like a little sweet and a little crunch. Our Raisin & Walnut Sourdough is our baker Jordan's favorite: organic walnuts and plump raisins folded into a blend of organic flours, with the same mild sourdough tang. It bakes exactly like the plain loaf: 430°F, directly on the middle rack, 16 to 23 minutes, then at least 20 minutes of rest.
- Cut the sugar. The raisins already bring sweetness, so use 1 tablespoon of sugar in the egg mixture, or none at all.
- Change the spice. Keep the cinnamon and add the finely grated zest of half an orange. Orange, raisin and walnut are an old friendship.
- Lower the heat a little. Raisins on the surface of the slice can scorch. Cook over medium-low heat and give it a little longer if needed.
- Mind your guests. This loaf contains walnuts, a tree nut. The plain Sourdough Loaf has no walnuts, but its label says it is processed on shared equipment with tree nuts, so read the labels before serving anyone with a nut allergy.
Serve it with a pat of salted butter and a thin drizzle of maple syrup, or with plain yogurt and honey for a less sweet plate.
For a sweeter French toast
Organic walnuts and raisins folded into our sourdough. Same bake: 430°F, 16 to 23 minutes, 20 minutes of rest. Use less sugar in the custard. Add it to your box.
See the Raisin & WalnutSavory sourdough French toast
Sourdough's tang makes it the natural bread for a savory French toast, a good brunch dish next to a green salad. Skip the sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. For 4 slices, whisk 3 large eggs with 3/4 cup whole milk, 1/4 teaspoon salt, black pepper and 1/3 cup finely grated hard cheese, plus a spoon of chopped chives or thyme if you have them. Soak and cook as above, then finish with a fried or poached egg, sliced tomato, avocado, or a handful of arugula. The plain Sourdough Loaf is the one to use here; keep the raisin and walnut loaf for sweet versions.
Oven-baked French toast for a crowd
For 8 or more people, skip the batches in the skillet. The common sheet-pan method: heat the oven to 400°F and generously butter a large rimmed baking sheet. Soak the bread as usual, lay it out in a single layer, and bake for 10 minutes or so, until golden underneath. Flip and bake another 6 to 10, until the second side is golden and the centers are set. Everyone sits down at the same time, and the cook does too. The same skillet method works with croissants: see French toast made with croissants.
If you would rather assemble everything the night before, sourdough also makes a good French toast casserole: cubes soaked overnight in an egg mixture in a buttered dish, baked in the morning. It is a different dish with its own timing, so follow a casserole recipe for the bake. The loaf matters here: see what to look for in a sourdough.
What to serve with it
The tang of the bread loves fruit and a touch of salt. A few pairings that work:
- Salted butter and maple syrup. The classic. A cultured butter such as our Banner Butter sea salt butter, finished with flakes of sea salt, melts into the hot slices and makes the syrup taste deeper.
- Jam and berries. A spoon of our wild blackberry jam (55% fruit) with fresh berries and a dusting of powdered sugar.
- Yogurt and fruit. Thick yogurt, sliced bananas or roasted apples, and a few toasted nuts, for a brighter plate.
- On the savory side. Bacon or breakfast sausage next to the sweet version, for that sweet and salty contrast.
Make ahead, freeze and reheat
French toast is an easy breakfast to keep on hand, in two ways:
- Keep the bread frozen. Our breads ship frozen from the Fresh Baguette kitchen in Germantown, Maryland, and in their sealed packaging they keep in your freezer for up to 6 months. Bake a loaf on Friday evening and it is just the right day-old bread on Saturday morning. We deliver to the Eastern US; check your zip code on the site before you order.
- Freeze the cooked French toast. Let the toast cool completely on a rack, freeze it in a single layer on a baking sheet until firm, then pack them in a freezer bag. Reheat them straight from the freezer in a toaster or in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes or so, until hot and crisp again. Avoid the microwave if you want the crust to stay crisp.
Curious about how our breads go from our kitchen to your freezer and your oven? Read how it works, or browse all our sourdough and artisan breads. Our half baguettes and Pioneer loaves bake hotter and shorter than the Sourdough Loaf, so always follow the instructions on each product page.
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Questions about sourdough French toast
Can you use fresh sourdough for French toast?
Yes, but it works better a day old. Fresh bread is moister and softer, so soak it for only 30 to 60 seconds per side and handle it gently, or dry the cut bread in a low oven first (around 300°F is a common choice). Either way, let a freshly baked loaf rest at least 20 minutes before slicing. To keep a loaf at the right stage for this, read how to store a sourdough loaf day by day.
How long does it take to make sourdough French toast?
With day-old bread, about 30 to 40 minutes for 8 slices cooked two at a time: a few minutes for the egg mixture, then four batches of 6 to 8 minutes of cooking each. A griddle that holds four slices brings it closer to 20 minutes. If you bake a frozen par-baked loaf first, add 16 to 23 minutes in the oven and at least 20 minutes of rest, ideally the evening before.
What ingredients do you need?
Day-old sourdough bread, eggs, milk or half-and-half, a little sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and a pinch of salt, plus butter for the pan. The usual ratio is roughly 1 large egg for every 1/4 cup of dairy.
Why is my French toast soggy in the middle?
Either the slice soaked too long, the heat was too high so the outside browned before the center cooked, or the slice is very thick. Soak a little less, cook over medium to medium-low heat, and finish thick slices in a 350°F oven for 5 to 8 minutes.
What are good toppings?
Maple syrup and salted butter, fresh berries, jam, powdered sugar, yogurt and fruit, or a fried egg and herbs for a savory version. The bread's tang pairs especially well with fruit.
Should French toast be made with milk or cream?
Both work. Whole milk gives a lighter custard, heavy cream a richer one, and half-and-half sits in between, which is why many recipes use it with a lean, crusty loaf.