Banana Cocoa Sourdough French Toast
A cocoa-and-vanilla egg mixture turns leftover sourdough into warm French toast, finished with sliced banana and a spoonful of plain yogurt.
Sourdough gives French toast a little tang beneath the cocoa and ripe banana. Use slices that are slightly dry but still flexible; they should absorb the egg mixture without breaking when lifted.
The cocoa is unsweetened and the banana is added after cooking. A spoonful of plain yogurt brings a cool contrast to the warm toast, with honey left as an optional finish.
Banana Cocoa Sourdough French Toast
- Makes
- 2 servings (2 small slices each)
- Prep · estimate
- 10 min
- Cook · estimate
- 16 min
- Total · estimate
- 26 min
Ingredients
- 4 small slices (180 g total) day-old sourdough, about 1.5 cm / ⅝ inch thick
- 2 large eggs
- 100 ml milk
- 1 tbsp (6 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp (10 ml) neutral cooking oil, divided between batches
- 1 large (about 120 g peeled) ripe banana, sliced just before serving
- 150 g plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tsp (7 g) honey, optional, for both servings
Method
Whisk the cocoa mixture
In a shallow dish, mix the cocoa with 2 tbsp of the measured milk to make a smooth paste. Whisk in the remaining milk, both eggs and the vanilla until evenly combined.
Dip the first batch
Heat a wide nonstick skillet over medium-low heat and add 1 tsp oil. Dip two bread slices in the egg mixture for about 20–30 seconds per side, just until moistened through the surface but still firm enough to lift. Let excess liquid drip into the dish.
Cook gently through the center
Cook the soaked slices for approximately 3–4 minutes per side. Lower the heat if the exterior colors before the center sets. The egg mixture must reach 71°C/160°F at the center. Insert a thin-tip instant-read food thermometer from the side so its sensing tip sits in the center without touching the pan. Continue cooking gently if needed rather than relying on the color alone.
Repeat with the remaining bread
Transfer the cooked toast to warm plates. Add the remaining 1 tsp oil, dip the final two slices and cook in the same way. Discard any unused egg mixture. Cooking time varies with slice thickness and the skillet.
Top and serve
Slice the banana. Give each serving two small pieces of French toast, half the banana and 75 g yogurt. Drizzle with the optional honey and serve while the toast is warm.
Developed for home use; not kitchen-tested by Sourdough Bench. Times are estimates; use the doneness cues in the steps.
Small things that help
- Do not soak very open bread for long
- A slice full of large holes can become fragile quickly. Dip briefly, support it with a broad spatula and avoid leaving all four slices sitting in the egg mixture.
- Cocoa darkens before the egg is cooked
- A dark surface is not a reliable doneness test. Moderate heat gives the middle time to cook; temperature is the useful check.
- Treat the time as an estimate
- The 16-minute cooking estimate allows for two batches. A smaller pan, thicker slices or a gentler burner will take longer.
Make it your own
- Use berries instead
- Replace the banana with 150 g strawberries or raspberries. Keep the yogurt amount the same and taste before adding the optional honey.
- Leave out the cocoa
- For a vanilla version, omit the cocoa and whisk the eggs, milk and vanilla together directly. Keep the same doneness check.
- Change the dairy
- Use 100 ml unsweetened plant milk and 150 g plain plant-based yogurt if avoiding dairy. The recipe still contains egg and wheat, and plant milks vary in browning and flavor.
Make ahead & storage
Chill untopped cooked French toast within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 32°C/90°F, at 4°C/40°F or below. Use within 2 days for best texture and reheat to 74°C/165°F. Keep yogurt separate and slice banana fresh; discard leftover raw egg mixture.
Dietary notes
What is in this breakfast
This is an egg-and-milk French toast with fruit, not a yogurt-only toast. It contains wheat, milk and eggs as written. The optional honey is separate from the cocoa mixture so you can decide at the table.
Choose the bread you enjoy
Plain or partly whole-grain sourdough works here. A very dense rye loaf has a different soaking pattern and may need a thinner slice; keep the same food-temperature check.
Before you start
Is this a low-GI French toast recipe?
No GI test has been carried out on this recipe. Cocoa, yogurt or sourdough cannot establish a low-GI rating for the finished meal. Choose bread using actual tested product data if that is part of your eating plan.
Can I use fresh sourdough?
Yes, but dip it briefly because soft bread absorbs liquid quickly. Slightly dry slices are easier to handle. The bread should be fully cooled before you slice it.
Why is the middle wet when the outside looks done?
The heat may be too high, the bread too thick or the soak too long. Lower the heat and continue cooking until the center reaches 71°C/160°F. A cooked center should have a set, tender texture rather than liquid egg.
Sources & inspiration
- FoodSafety.gov: Safe minimum internal temperatures
Egg-dish and reheated-leftover temperature guidance. The French toast formula is an original Sourdough Bench development.
- FDA: Are you storing food safely?
Refrigeration and time limits for perishable foods.
- University of Sydney: Glycemic index FAQs
Background for the distinction between an ingredient and a measured GI rating of a finished food.
Recipe writing and serving illustrations are created for Sourdough Bench. Inspiration credits identify the source of an idea; they do not imply that another author tested this recipe. How we publish.
