Keeping our weekend brunch sweet & exciting with this sourdough french toast. Thick pieces of sourdough bread soaked in a simple egg custard, cooked on a hot griddle in melted butter until golden, and topped with sweet ricotta & syrupy cherries. It’s a lazy day summer breakfast that is both seasonal & extremely comforting.
It seems like just about everybody was baking sourdough bread over the last few months while stuck at home. And while I didn’t end up making any myself, I’ve always loved picking up a loaf of sourdough bread from my local bakery and eating it plain with some good butter, turning it into a seasonal toast, or grilling it up to eat alongside a summer dip.
My latest bit of inspiration was to use sourdough for some not-so-traditional french toast. And I honestly couldn’t be happier with how this turned out. The combo of flavors is perfect, not too sweet, and really unique.
The French toast itself doesn’t have too much sweetness. The egg custard is sweetened only with a couple tablespoons of maple syrup. And when cooked on the griddle, the flavor of the sourdough really shines through. But when topped with the sweetened ricotta cheese & slowly cooked cherries? You’ve got the perfect balance.
Since the toast itself is really simple, I like to go overboard with the toppings – a pat of butter for some extra richness, a drizzle of warm maple syrup for lots of luscious sweetness, the cooked cherries for texture & flavor, and the sweetened vanilla ricotta cream for a fresh, cold contrast to the warm bread.
Trust me, you’ll be licking the plate clean. If you want to complete your brunch with a savory recipe to eat alongside the sourdough french toast, I’d say this garden frittata would be the perfect counterpart for a very dreamy meal.
PrintSourdough French Toast with Ricotta & Cherries
sourdough bread dipped in an egg custard, cooked until golden, and topped with sweet ricotta cream & syrupy cherries
servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 lb cherries, pitted + halved
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup water
- kosher salt
- ½ cup (4oz) whole milk ricotta cheese
- 3 tbsp maple syrup (plus more for serving)
- 1 ¼ tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup whole milk
- 4 large (½”) slices sourdough bread
- 2 tbsp butter, plus more for serving
Instructions
- Combine the cherries, brown sugar, water, and a pinch of salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring often, until the cherries are thick and syrupy.
- Combine the ricotta cheese, 1 tablespoon of maple syrup, and ¼ teaspoon of vanilla in a mixing bowl. Whisk until smooth and set aside.
- Crack the eggs into another mixing bowl and beat well. Whisk in the milk, remaining 2 tablespoons of maple syrup, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Coat the sourdough bread in the egg custard and let soak, submerged, for 10 minutes.
- Heat a griddle over medium heat. Once hot, add the butter and let melt, spreading it evenly across the surface. Place the soaked bread onto the griddle. Cook until golden brown on one side, about 2-3 minutes. Flip the bread and continue to cook until golden and fully cooked through, about 3-4 minutes longer. Keep a close eye on the bread and adjust the heat as needed so you don’t burn the toast.
- Serve the french toast immediately with a pat of butter, warm maple syrup, the cooked cherries, and sweet ricotta cream over top.
shop the dish: sourdough french toast with ricotta & cherries
