Blueberry Sourdough French Toast (Printable Version)

Sourdough bread baked with blueberries and fragrant spices for a cozy, make-ahead brunch.

# What You'll Need:

→ Bread & Fruit

01 - 1 loaf sourdough bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (approximately 14 ounces)
02 - 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

→ Custard Mixture

03 - 6 large eggs
04 - 2 cups whole milk
05 - 1/2 cup heavy cream
06 - 1/3 cup granulated sugar
07 - 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
08 - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
09 - 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
10 - 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

→ Topping

11 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
12 - 2 tablespoons brown sugar
13 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

# How To Make It:

01 - Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with butter or nonstick spray.
02 - Spread the cubed sourdough bread evenly in the prepared dish. Sprinkle blueberries over the bread.
03 - In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, heavy cream, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until smooth.
04 - Pour the custard mixture evenly over the bread and blueberries. Gently press the bread down to soak.
05 - Cover the dish tightly and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight for best results.
06 - When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F.
07 - In a small bowl, mix melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Drizzle evenly over the top of the soaked bread.
08 - Bake uncovered for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the center is set and the top is golden brown.
09 - Cool for 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm, optionally with maple syrup or a dusting of powdered sugar.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • You can assemble it the night before and just pop it in the oven, which means you actually get to sit with your coffee instead of sweating at the stove.
  • The sourdough's tanginess plays beautifully against the sweet blueberries and cinnamon, creating layers of flavor that taste way fancier than the effort requires.
  • It feeds a crowd without making you feel like you've been cooking since dawn.
02 -
  • Overnight chilling really is the difference between a good bake and a transcendent one—I learned this after rushing through it once and ending up with dry bread in wet custard instead of a unified texture.
  • Don't skip gently pressing the bread down into the custard mixture because those pieces that float on top will stay crispy and tough instead of transforming into something soft and custardy.
03 -
  • If your blueberries are fresh and plump, freeze them for 15 minutes before adding them to the casserole so they hold their shape better during baking instead of turning into jam.
  • The moment you smell that toasted cinnamon and butter starting to caramelize on top, that's when you know it's about 5 minutes from perfect—don't wait for it to look done because carryover cooking will finish it.
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