Grilled Sourdough Recipe: How to Grill Bread in 15 Minutes

Sourdough bread is a blanket term for breads made with a living culture of natural, wild yeast rather than commercial yeast. Before the invention of commercial instant or dry active yeast, all breads were sourdoughs. Despite the term, not all sourdough bread tastes sour.

Grilled sourdough consists of thick slices of sourdough bread that cook on the grill to achieve a smoky flavor and defined grill marks. To make the dish, use a gas or charcoal grill or even a grill pan on the stovetop to toast the bread to your liking.

When making grilled sourdough, start with one from the grocery store for convenience or bake your own sourdough boule (round loaf). Four a four-ingredient recipe, try Poilâne bakery CEO Apollonia Poilâne’s homemade sourdough starter recipe.

Transform smoky, grilled sourdough slices into one or more of these dishes:

1. 1. À la French toast: Mix eggs, milk, sugar, and cinnamon together in a baking dish. Soak the slices of grilled sourdough in the custard for about two minutes on each side. Then cook the sourdough French toast in butter on a hot griddle until both sides are golden brown and the custard sets.
2. 2. As garlic bread: Combine softened butter, mayonnaise, grated garlic (or garlic powder), fresh herbs, and salt. Spread the garlic butter on the grilled bread and broil it until the butter atop the garlic bread is bubbly and turning golden brown.
3. 3. In grilled cheese sandwiches: Put a couple slices of American cheese or cheddar cheese between two slices of sourdough. Brush the sourdough with olive oil and cook the grilled cheese sandwich on the grill—the cheese will melt and the bread will become crispy at the same time.
4. 4. With heirloom tomatoes: Spread pesto on grilled sourdough bread and top it with a bruschetta mixture of fresh basil, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and garlic. Alternatively, use slices of fresh heirloom tomatoes. If you wish, add an optional slice of fresh mozzarella cheese.