Sourdough French Toast

French toast enjoys a wide and varied history,  and food history enthusiasts will find that the combination of beaten egg, day-old bread and good seasonings pop up in the traditional cooking of peoples across the globe, from Germany to Brazil, and is first referenced in Apicius – a collection of Roman recipes first recorded in the late 4th century.  And why not? It’s a perfect use for day-old bread, where its very staleness equates to an improved result.

For us, sourdough French Toast is a compromise foods in many ways.  We don’t often consume sweeteners, natural or otherwise; after all, sweeteners were rarely used among populations thriving on their native, traditional diets outside of celebratory ritual¹, but, from time to time, we indulge – and this recipe is no exception.  It’s wickedly indulgent – combining the richness of eggs and cream with the sweetness of maple syrup; moreover it’s a good source of manganese² – a nutrient that plays a critical role in many biological functions but is particularly important in bone formation, healing and collagen formation.  Maple syrup, particularly the darker and cloudier syrups, offer some antioxidant activity³. That said, it is still a concentrated sweetener, natural as it may be, and should be used with a wise and thrifty hand.