Use your leftover sourdough to make these French toast sticks! Slice leftover sourdough into sticks, soak them in a cinnamon and vanilla custard, then shallow-fry in a combination of oil and butter. They're crispy, flavorful, and have the BEST texture.
Sourdough is the best bread to make French toast sticks with! Since sourdough holds up really well to moisture, it can soak up lots of flavor from the custard without getting soggy.
These are better than the frozen variety (which means a lot coming from me because I LOVE frozen French toast sticks!).
What bread to use
Just about any artisan loaf will work here! You can use a plain loaf, or make extra delicious French toast sticks by using something like this pumpkin cinnamon swirl or raisin bread.
I love using sourdough that's been baked in a loaf pan for the easiest slicing.
You do want your bread on the dry side. If your bread isn't dry, you can place sliced sticks on a baking sheet in a 250 degree oven to dry out for 15-20 minutes, flipping occasionally. Cool them to room temperature before continuing with the recipe.
The best French toast stick custard
This is the custard I use for all my French toast endeavors. Here, it's adapted from my regular French toast. I love it because it has the BEST flavor thanks to the sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt, and crisps up perfectly.
The cornstarch helps these to get that perfectly crispy coating when frying, and gives the custard more body. Don't skip it!
The key to getting the batter smooth is to throw all the ingredients in the blender and blend well.
You MUST get this smooth, otherwise the coating will have clumps and eggy bits - not what you want here!
How to make French toast sticks with sourdough
Arrange dried sticks of sourdough in a 9 by 13-inch pan and pour the custard mixture over top. It's okay if they don't all fit at this point!
Leave the sticks in the custard mixture for 10 minutes - flipping every couple minutes to give all sides a chance to soak.
Once they're soaked, fry in a combination of oil and butter. As you remove sticks from the 9 by 13-inch pan, replace with more bread if you have it.
You'll want to cook these for 2-3 minutes per side, or until they're just as brown as you like them.
Remove to a plate lined with paper towels as they finish cooking, and continue cooking in batches until they're all done.
Then, sprinkle with powdered sugar and let the dunking in maple syrup commence!
Sourdough French Toast Sticks
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- ⅔ cup milk
- ⅓ cup cornstarch
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Pinch of salt
- 1 (1 ½ pound) loaf slightly stale sourdough, cut into 1-inch sticks (see note)
- ¼ cup neutral oil
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- For serving: powdered sugar, maple syrup
Directions
- Combine the eggs, milk, cornstarch, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt in a blender. Arrange the bread sticks in a 9 by 13-inch pan (it's okay if they don't all fit) and pour the egg mixture over top. Let them sit for 8-10 minutes to allow them to soak up the liquid, flipping every few minutes to coat all sides.Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium-low heat. Add the oil and butter. Transfer as many sticks as will fit in a single layer and cook 2-3 minutes per side, until golden brown and crisp. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels. (If you couldn't fit all the bread sticks in the egg mixture, be sure to put them in once you start cooking.) Continue cooking in batches. Enjoy warm sprinkled with powdered sugar and dunked in maple syrup!
Notes
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