Sourdough French toast bread bowls are the most fun thing I have put on a breakfast table in a long time, and they take mini loaves of sourdough somewhere you would never expect it to go. They look like something you would order out. They are completely doable on a regular Sunday morning.
This is what I make when I want breakfast to feel like an occasion. Set them out for a holiday brunch and watch what happens. Or do what I do most of the time, which is bake a batch, freeze them, and pull out however many I need the night before. Reheat them in the morning and you have a breakfast that present Noelle is thanking last week Noelle for.
The best part is where they come from. One batch of sourdough dough. Not a special formula, not a scaled up version of anything. Your regular loaf, divided five ways.
Table of Contents
- Why You Will Love This Recipe
- What Are Sourdough French Toast Bread Bowls
- Ingredients You Will Need
- Making the Mini Sourdough Loaves
- How to Make Sourdough French Toast Bread Bowls
- The Swirl Trick That Makes the Bowl Work
- The Fried Tops
- Recipe
- Tips for Success
- Make Ahead and Freezing
- Substitutions and Variations
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Subscribe
- More Recipes
Why You Will Love This Recipe
They are a showstopper that requires no special skill. If you can bake a loaf of sourdough, you can make these. The hollowing takes only a short amount of time.
Every portion holds its shape. Baked French toast is usually a casserole you scoop onto a plate where it promptly slumps. These arrive intact, and they stay that way.
Nothing gets wasted. The bread you pull out of the middle is the bread that goes back in. There is no extra loaf to buy and no scraps left over.
They freeze beautifully. Make them once, keep them in the freezer, and breakfast is handled for the next month.
They are the answer to day old sourdough. Fresh bread is actually the wrong ingredient here. This is the recipe for the loaf sitting on your counter that nobody wants to slice anymore.
What Are Sourdough French Toast Bread Bowls
They are exactly what they sound like, which is part of why people love them. A small sourdough loaf becomes the dish, the custard soaked filling goes inside, and the whole thing bakes together.
The method splits across two days, and it helps to see the shape of it before you start.
Day one. You make one batch of sourdough dough and divide it into five small loaves instead of one big one. They bake, they cool, and they sit overnight.
Day two. You cut the tops off, hollow them out, tear the insides into pieces, soak those pieces in a maple custard, and pack them back into the empty shells. The filled bowls bake covered. The tops soak separately and get fried in butter.
That overnight rest is the one instruction I would not bend, and it has nothing to do with flavor. Warm bread tears when you hollow it and you will punch straight through the wall. Cooled bread cuts clean.
Ingredients You Will Need
Exact amounts are in the recipe card below. Here is what each thing is doing and where you have room to move.
Sourdough bread. One batch of my sourdough bread recipe, divided into five pieces at 187 grams each. If you want the full walkthrough on starter, bulk fermentation, and shaping, that post covers all of it.
Whole milk. The first version of this recipe used buttermilk. Whole milk is what I usually use because i don’t always have buttermilk. It swaps by weight one for one, and since the bread is already bringing acidity, you lose nothing in the trade.
Eggs. They set the custard. This is what turns soaked bread into something you can lift on a spoon rather than something that pools in the bottom of the bowl.
Maple syrup. Real maple, not pancake syrup. It sweetens the custard, and it is also what you pour over the top at the table, so the flavor runs through the whole thing instead of showing up only at the end.
Butter. Melted into the custard, and more in the skillet for the tops. Two separate jobs, both worth it.
Cinnamon. In the custard and sprinkled over the filling before it bakes. That sprinkle is what gives you the darker speckled crown.
Vanilla. Rounds the maple out so it does not land as flat sweetness.
Making the Mini Sourdough Loaves
Make your dough exactly as you always do. Bulk ferment, shape, cold proof. Nothing about the dough itself changes.
The only difference is the division. After bulk fermentation, divide into five pieces at 187 grams each and shape each one into a small round. Bench rest, shape again, into bannetons or lined bowls, cold proof overnight. The size is customizable. Feel free to play around with it.
Score them. It feels fussy on something this small, but the tops become the lids, and that scoring is the only decoration this recipe gets.
Baking Them, Two Ways
In a Dutch oven. Two at a time at 450 degrees, 20 minutes covered, then 5 to 8 uncovered. That is three rounds for five loaves, and the last round only has one loaf in it.
All at once. Build a Dutch oven out of what you already own. Two 13×9 rectangle cake pans work perfectly. Loaves on parchment in the bottom pan, the second pan inverted over the top, foil crimped around the edge to seal. Same temperature, same times. If you are making a bigger batch, use sheet pans with tall sides and stack them the same way.
Pull them at 205 to 210 degrees internal.
Keep the uncovered time short either way. You want a crust firm enough to hold custard without going so thick that it turns leathery on the second bake.
Then cool them completely and leave them overnight. I know you want to keep going. Do not.
How to Make Sourdough French Toast Bread Bowls
Hollow the Bowls
Slice the top off each loaf, about a third of the way down. Set the tops aside. You need all five.
Work your fingers into the opening and pull the interior out in pieces. Leave roughly a half inch of crumb against the crust all the way around. Too thin and the wall goes soft once the custard hits it. Too thick and you end up with a lot of bread and not much filling.
Tear everything you pulled out into bite size pieces and set them aside.
Whisk the Custard
Whisk the milk, eggs, maple syrup, vanilla, and cinnamon together first. Then stream the melted butter in while you are still whisking.
That order matters more than it sounds like it should. Melted butter poured into cold liquid seizes into little flecks that never disperse. Take your milk out of the refrigerator before you start so it is not straight from the cold, and keep the whisk moving while the butter goes in.
Soak the Bread
Add the torn bread, mix, and let it rest about 10 minutes. Check it at 5. You want the pieces saturated and glossy but still holding their shape. If they are starting to break down, stop and move on.
Milk runs through bread faster than buttermilk does, so more of your liquid settles at the bottom of the bowl instead of staying suspended in the pieces. Stir it right before you start scooping so your last bowl does not get all liquid and no bread.
Fill and Bake
Line a 13×9 with foil, then parchment on top of the foil. You are building a covered baking environment here, not just protecting the pan. These need to bake covered so the bowls do not turn tough while the custard sets. The easy cleanup is a bonus.
Set the five bowls in. At this size they fit with room around them.
Fill each one, mounding the soaked bread slightly above the rim, because it settles as it bakes and a flat fill gives you a sunken top.
Sprinkle with more cinnamon if you want. Place your 2nd pan on top.
375 degrees. 30 to 35 minutes covered, then 5- 10 minutes uncovered.
The center should read 185 to 190 degrees F on an instant read thermometer, with the filling set and no wet jiggle. Uncovering at the end is what gives you that browned craggy crown instead of a pale steamed surface.
Rest 5 to 10 minutes before serving so the custard finishes setting.
The Swirl Trick That Makes the Bowl Work
This is the step I would not skip, and it takes about five seconds.
Once a bowl is hollowed, spoon about a tablespoon of the custard into the bottom and tilt it around so the liquid coats the inside walls. Then fill it.
Here is why. Hollowing exposes dry crumb, and dry crumb sitting underneath a wet filling does not soak from the inside out the way you would hope. It stays bready and a little chalky against a custardy center, and you taste the seam where one stops and the other starts. Coating the interior first closes that gap, so the bowl and the filling read as one thing when you cut in.
Two rules on it. Keep it to a tablespoon, because more than that pools at the base instead of absorbing into the wall and the bowl slumps when you lift it. And do it right before you fill that particular bowl, not to all five ahead of time, because a coated bowl keeps wicking while it sits.
The Fried Tops
Start these during the last 10 minutes of the uncovered bake.
Set the reserved tops cut side down in whatever custard is left and let them rest in it. Not dunked, not flipped. The cut side takes on liquid and the scored side stays dry.
Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat and fry the tops cut side down until deep golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Do not flip them.
The scored side never touches butter or custard, and that is the entire point. It keeps the flour and the pattern, so the finished dish reads as bread sitting on a bowl instead of a soggy lid. Fry both sides and you lose the whole look.
Set each top on its bowl at an angle so the filling shows, or lean one alongside.
Recipe
Sourdough French Toast Bread Bowls
Equipment
- Digital Kitchen Scale
- Large mixing bowl
- Flexible dough scraper
- 5 small bannetons, or bowls lined with floured towels
- Lame or razor blade
- Dutch oven, or two 13×9 rectangle cake pans
- 13×9 baking pan
- Parchment paper
- Skillet
- Instant read thermometer
Ingredients
For the Mini Sourdough Loaves (make these a day ahead)
- 75 grams active sourdough starter about 1/3 cup
- 350 grams room temperature filtered water about 1 1/2 cups
- 500 grams bread flour about 4 cups
- 10 grams fine sea salt about 1 3/4 teaspoons
- 15 grams water for working in the salt (1 tablespoon)
For the Custard
- 366 grams whole milk 1 1/2 cups
- 4 large eggs about 200 grams, shelled
- 80 grams maple syrup 1/4 cup
- 28 grams unsalted butter melted (2 tablespoons)
- 4 grams vanilla extract 1 teaspoon
- 1 gram ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon
For Finishing
- 2 grams ground cinnamon for sprinkling (3/4 teaspoon)
- 28 grams unsalted butter for the skillet (2 tablespoons)
- Maple syrup for serving
Instructions
Day One: Mix and Bulk Ferment
- Combine the bread flour, starter, and 350 grams water in a large bowl and mix until a rough, shaggy dough forms with no dry pockets of flour. Scrape down the sides, cover, and rest 1 hour.
- Wet your hands, sprinkle the salt over the dough, and rub it across the surface. Pour the 15 grams of water across the top. Starting at one corner, slowly turn the dough under itself while kneading gently until the salt is fully incorporated.
- Perform a set of stretch and folds: with wet hands, grab one side of the dough, stretch it up until you feel resistance, and fold it over to the opposite side. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat until all four sides are folded. Flip the dough smooth side up and cover.
- Repeat the stretch and folds every hour for 3 hours total, then leave the dough covered at room temperature to finish bulk fermentation.
- Bulk fermentation is complete when the dough has grown 50 to 70 percent, the surface is smooth and domed, the dough jiggles when you shake the bowl, and a gentle poke springs back slowly leaving a slight indent. Depending on your kitchen this takes 4 to 10 or more hours from mixing. Trust the visual cues, not the clock.
Day One: Shape and Bake the Mini Loaves
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 5 pieces at 190 grams each. Preshape each into a rough round, cover, and rest 15 minutes.
- Final shape each piece: fold the edges into the center, flip seam side down, and cup your hands around the dough, rotating it on the counter to tighten the surface. Place seam side up in a floured banneton or a small bowl lined with a floured towel.
- Cover and cold retard in the refrigerator 8 to 48 hours. Overnight is what this recipe is built around.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Turn each loaf out onto parchment and score the top. The tops become the lids, so the scoring is worth doing well. I like doing a round score on these.
- Bake covered 20 minutes, then uncover and bake 5 minutes more, to 205 to 210 degrees F internal. Bake two at a time in a Dutch oven, or bake all five at once between two 13×9 rectangle cake pans, lined up square so the top pan sits flush.
- Cool completely and leave overnight before hollowing.
Day Two: Hollow the Bowls
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 13×9 pan with parchment. You will cover it with a second 13×9 pan for the bake.
- Slice the top off each cooled loaf, about a third of the way down. Set the tops aside. You need all five.
- Work your fingers into each opening and pull the interior out in pieces, leaving roughly a half inch of crumb against the crust all the way around. Tear everything you removed into bite size pieces and set aside.
Make the Custard
- Whisk the milk, eggs, maple syrup, vanilla, and 1 gram cinnamon together until smooth. Stream the melted butter in while still whisking.
- Add the torn bread and stir to coat. Let rest 10-20 minutes. The pieces should be saturated and glossy but still holding their shape.
Fill and Bake
- Set the five hollowed bowls in the lined pan. Spoon about a tablespoon of the custard into the bottom of one bowl and tilt it so the liquid coats the inside walls, then fill that bowl right away. Repeat one bowl at a time.
- Stir the soaked bread again, then pack it into each bowl, mounding it slightly above the rim. It settles as it bakes. Don't overly compress to pack it down in.
- Sprinkle the tops with the remaining 2 grams cinnamon. Set a second 13×9 pan upside down on top, lined up square with the pan underneath so it sits tight with no gap along any side. It does not need to be sealed. If your pans leave a gap, or you only have one 13×9, cover with parchment and then foil crimped around the edge instead.
- Bake covered 30 to 35 minutes. Uncover and bake 5-10 minutes more, until the centers read 185 to 190 degrees F on an instant read thermometer, the filling is set with no wet jiggle, and the surface has browned.
Fry the Tops
- During the last 10 minutes of baking, set the reserved tops cut side down in whatever custard is left and let them soak.
- Melt the remaining 28 grams butter in a skillet over medium heat. Fry the tops cut side down 2 to 3 minutes until deep golden. Do not flip them. The scored side stays dry.
- Rest the bowls 5 to 10 minutes so the custard finishes setting. Set each top on its bowl at an angle so the filling shows, or lean one alongside. Pour maple syrup over the top at the table.
Notes
- 170 to 175 degrees F gives you a loose, spoonable center closer to a classic bread pudding.
- 175 to 185 degrees F is the middle ground, set but still soft.
- 185 to 190 degrees F is what is in the photos. Firm enough to slice and to lift the bowl without it giving way.
- Baked mini loaves keep 2 days at room temperature in a paper bag, or freeze whole up to 1 month.
- Freeze the finished bowls up to 1 month. Move to the refrigerator the night before, then reheat covered at 325 degrees F for about 20 minutes.
- Leftovers keep 3 days refrigerated. Reheat covered at 325 degrees F for about 15 minutes. Keep them covered or the crust hardens.
- You can hollow, soak, fill, and refrigerate overnight. Add about 10 minutes to the covered bake. The walls come out slightly softer than if you fill the same morning.
Tips for Success
Bake the loaves a day ahead, not the same morning. This is the difference between a clean bowl and a torn one.
Weigh your dough pieces. 187 grams each. Eyeballing it gives you one giant bowl and four small ones, and they will not bake evenly.
Leave a half inch wall. Thinner than that and it goes soft. Thicker and there is not enough filling.
Mound the filling above the rim. It settles. A flat fill bakes into a sunken top.
Seal the foil properly. If steam escapes during the covered bake, the crust hardens and the custard dries at the edges. Crimp it all the way around.
Do not skip the uncovered 10 minutes. That is where the browning happens.
If you want a smoother filling, strain the custard. Bits of egg white that never break up in the whisk can show as small cooked flecks after baking. Pouring it through a mesh strainer before the bread goes in takes care of it.
Expect a firm set. Use a thermometer on the second bake. 185 to 190 degrees F in the center. How ever see the FAQS section for other doneness options. Pan sizes and oven calibration vary more than people expect, and the clock will not tell you what the middle of a bread bowl is doing.
Expect a firm set at 185 to 190. The inside slices rather than falling apart on the spoon. That is correct for a French toast bake, and it is not underdone. If you want it looser and more spoonable, pull closer to 175 instead. Full range is in the recipe notes and FAQS section.
Make Ahead and Freezing
The loaves. Bake up to two days ahead. Keep them at room temperature in a paper bag or loosely covered. Do not seal them in plastic, because you want them drying out, not softening.
Freeze the finished bowls. This is how I keep them on hand, and it is the reason I make a big batch. Bake them, cool them completely, wrap each one, and freeze up to a month. Move however many you need to the refrigerator the night before. In the morning, reheat covered at 325 degrees for about 20 minutes. Keep them covered or the crust hardens.
Freeze the mini loaves instead. If you would rather assemble fresh, freeze the baked mini loaves whole for up to a month and thaw at room temperature overnight. The crust firming up in the freezer actually works in your favor here.
Assembling the night before. You can hollow, soak, fill, cover the pan, and refrigerate overnight. Add about 10 minutes to the covered bake since they are going in cold. The bowls come out a little softer than if you assembled and baked the same morning, so if you want sharp walls, do the filling in the morning.
Leftovers. Cover and refrigerate up to 3 days. Reheat covered at 325 degrees for about 15 minutes.
Substitutions and Variations
Heavy cream or half and half. Swap by weight. Cream gives you a denser, richer set. To split the difference, replace about 100 grams of the milk with heavy cream and leave everything else alone.
Brown sugar crust. Sprinkle brown sugar along with the cinnamon before the covered bake. It melts into the surface during the uncovered stretch.
Fruit. Fold blueberries or diced apple into the soaked bread before filling. Keep it to about a half cup total across all five so the extra moisture does not loosen the custard.
Fresh nutmeg. Grated into the custard alongside the cinnamon. It takes almost nothing, so go light.
Bigger bowls. Divide into four instead of five for a larger portion. The custard amount stays exactly the same, because the total bread is the same either way. Only the piece count changes. And possibly the final bake.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use store bought bread?
Yes, as long as it is a sturdy round loaf with a real crust. A soft sandwich boule will most likely collapse. The crust is doing structural work here.
Does the bread really have to be a day old?
Kind of. Warm bread tears when you hollow it and you will lose the wall. It also soaks faster. If you can’t wait just go for it!
Why do they bake covered?
Two reasons. It keeps the crust from hardening into something you cannot get a spoon through, and it traps steam so the custard sets evenly instead of drying out at the edges.
How do I know they are done?
Use your instant read thermometer and place it directly into the center of a bowl
170 to 175 degrees F for a loose, spoonable center closer to a classic bread pudding
175 to 185 degrees F for the middle ground, set but still soft
185 to 190 degrees F for the firm sliceable set in your photos
Egg custard is food safe at 160 degrees F, so anywhere in that range is fully cooked.
Do I have to fry the tops?
No, but they are much better fried. If you skip it, put the tops on a pan for the last few minutes of the uncovered bake so they cook through.
Can I make these for a crowd?
Yes, and it is what they are best at. Double the dough batch, divide into ten, and double the custard. You will need two 13×9 pans, and they will not fit on one rack, so rotate them halfway through the covered bake.
How far ahead can I make them?
Bake the loaves up to two days ahead, or bake the finished bowls and freeze them up to a month. Either way you can have these on the table in the morning without starting from scratch.
What do I serve with them?
Maple syrup poured over the top at the table or honey. Beyond that, bacon or sausage and a pot of coffee. They are filling, so you do not need much alongside.
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