Sweet Baked Life

Since it’s National Sourdough Bread Day, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to share my famous (well, at least at my home) Vanilla Sourdough French Toast recipe with you.  You see around here, my “boys” would have me making this every day!  But, since I can’t do that, they’ll have to settle with me making it on a lazy weekend morning maybe about once a month.  And for them, that works too!  There’s something fabulous about the warm and comforting tang of the sourdough bread combined with the sweet vanilla scented sauce, caramelized and grilled to perfection that makes these scrumptious morsels unforgettable!  And paring it with our favorite maple bacon is definitely a huge hit in our home!

 Vanilla Sourdough French Toast and Crispy Maple Bacon

1 lb. maple bacon (your choice)
1 Sourdough French Bread baguette
1 cup milk
1 egg
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Before I begin making my French Toast, I start by cooking the bacon.  Set your griddle medium-low heat, add bacon (we love Farmer John® Maple) and cook turning often.  I actually learned how to cook bacon from my dad, who always said to cook it low and slow.  This works for me every time as the bacon sizzles gently to just the right crispiness.  As the bacon is cooking, and filling your home with that incredible aroma, you can prepare the French Toast mixture and soak your bread.

Slice Sourdough French bread into ½ inch pieces and place in a single layer in a large dish; I used a 15×10” Pyrex® glass baking dish. Then in a medium bowl, mix the milk, egg, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla with a whisk until combined and pour over the bread.  Let bread absorb milk and flip once to fully coat.

Once the bacon is done, prepare a serving plate covered with two paper towels and place the bacon on top. Cover to keep warm.  Since I use the same griddle to cook my French Toast, clean the griddle and then turn to medium heat and coat with a little cooking spray or a dab of vegetable oil and 1 tablespoon of butter.

Add the soaked bread and cook approximately 2 minutes on each side or until done to your liking.  At our home we like ours a bit on the dark side. Serve with your favorite toppings such as warm pure maple syrup, melted butter, powdered sugar and fresh berries.

Now dig in and enjoy the pleasing textures of the magnificent French Toast and bacon – sweet and salty, a flawlessly mouth-watering combination!  Spoil you family with this amazing breakfast and if they are anything like my guys, they’ll thank you again and again each and every time you make it for them!