I hosted Mother’s Day brunch this year and I wanted something that could feed a large number of people and not spend the whole day in the kitchen while everyone else ate. French toast is always a favorite, especially with sourdough, but it can be time consuming to feed a large group and ensure the dish is hot and fresh! I make 2 loafs of sourdough a week and decided why not turn my sourdough French toast into a breakfast casserole! If you don’t have a sourdough starter checkout Ballerina Farms starter kit to get started!
The bread base
The best part of this recipe? You can make the night before and bake that morning! Especially for Mother’s Day when I wanted a little sleep in! If you don’t have sourdough you can use a different type of bread but I would recommend something with a firmer exterior such as French bread. Cut the whole loaf up into 2 inch cubes and split between the 2 pans. Don’t forget to spray your pan with nonstick spray. I unfortunately made that mistake the first time making the recipe and those pans had to soak for a week!
The Liquids
Next, you will mix your wet ingredients together. I start with my eggs, followed by the milk and cream. You will want to whisk these 3 ingredients really well and make sure the egg yolks are well incorporated. Now it’s time to add your cinnamon and vanilla to the wet mixture and mix well. The cinnamon will likely sit on the top of your liquid but don’t fret. When you pour it out over the bread it is distributed equally throughout the dish! Next, pour the mixture evenly over the 2 pans of cubed bread! If you are planning to prep the night before, this is the time in your recipe that you can refrigerate overnight.
The Topping
I think the topping is what makes this dish irresistible! It gives such a nice crunch of sweetness without completely overpowering the whole dish. You will want your butter to be soft but not melted. In a mixing bowl combine the brown sugar, flour and butter using a fork. The final product is like a crumbly paste. I find it easiest to distribute the topping over the bread with my hands so I can break it up with my fingers. If you want you can also add some berries for a burst of freshness and tang! I like to use blueberries but I think it would also be delicious with raspberries or blackberries.
Bake it!
All that is left is to stick your sourdough French toast bake in the oven! All ovens are a little different so you may need to bake a little less or more time, so I recommend checking every 5 minutes starting around 40 minutes. You want the top nice and crunchy but not burned! Now this recipe is written for a large group but would be very easy to cut this recipe in half for a weekend family breakfast!
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Sourdough French Toast Bake
Equipment
- 2 9×13 baking pans
Ingredients
- 1 loaf soudough Can be exchanged for a different bread but I recommend one with a harder exterior.
- 12 whole Eggs
- 1 Cup heavy cream
- 1 cup milk I prefer whole milk
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 2 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1.2 cup blueberries optional
Topping
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 cup brown sugar
Instructions
- Cube your sourdough into approximately 2 in squares
- Spray your 2 9×13 pans with nonstick spray and split the cubes evenly between the 2 pans
- Mix eggs, milk, heavy cream until completely combined
- Add cinnamon and vanilla extract to milk/egg mixture and mix thoroughly
- pour liquid mixture over the bread cubes.
- At this time you can continue on and add topping and bake, or you can place in fridge overnight covered.
Topping
- Using a fork mix softened butter, flour and brown sugar into a paste like consistency that will crumble apart.
- place small dollops of the topping over the bread cubes evenly
- Top with blueberries or other berry of your choice
- Bake uncovered at 375 for 45 minutes.
- Enjoy!
