Go Back
Norwegian French toast (arme riddere) made with sourdough, stacked on a green plate with fresh raspberries and powdered sugar

Norwegian French Toast (Arme Riddere)

Norwegian French toast (arme riddere) made with two-day-old sourdough, cardamom and cinnamon, caramelized in butter and served with raspberries.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Soaking 10 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 6 slices
Course: Breakfast, brunch, Dessert
Cuisine: Nordic, Norwegian, Scandinavian
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

French toast
  • 6 slices two-day-old sourdough bread ½ inch (1 cm) thick, from a rustic loaf
  • 2 large eggs
  • 200 ml whole milk ¾ cup + 1 tbsp
  • 25 g granulated sugar 2 tbsp, for the custard
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp ground cardamom
  • 30 g butter 2 tbsp, for frying — plus a little more for the second batch
  • 12 g granulated sugar 1 tbsp, for sprinkling in the pan
To serve
  • 200 g fresh raspberries 1½ cups
  • 80 g raspberry jam ¼ cup
  • 1 tbsp honey to drizzle
  • 1 tbsp powdered sugar for dusting

Equipment

  • Serrated bread knife For clean ½-inch slices from a crusty sourdough loaf.
  • Mixing bowl Wide enough to lay the slices flat so the crust soaks evenly.
  • Balloon whisk Gets the eggs, milk and spices fully emulsified in under a minute.
  • Non-stick frying pan An 11-inch (28 cm) pan fits five slices at once.
  • Wire cooling rack The single most important tool here: it keeps the finished slices crisp instead of steaming soggy on a plate.
  • Digital kitchen scale We bake and cook by weight.

Method
 

  1. Slice the bread. Cut the sourdough into ½-inch (1 cm) slices. We use bread that's two days old — dry enough to soak up the custard without falling apart. Three days works just as well.
  2. Make the custard. Whisk the eggs, milk, 2 tbsp sugar, cinnamon and cardamom together until fully combined and slightly foamy.
  3. Soak. Lay the slices in the custard and soak for about 10 minutes, turning them once halfway so both sides take up the liquid. Give the crust extra time — it needs longer than the crumb to soften.
  4. Heat the butter. Melt the butter in a wide pan over medium-low heat and let it foam.
  5. Fry the first side. Fry the slices on medium-low for 3–4 minutes, in two batches if your pan won't fit all six. Just before flipping, sprinkle a little sugar over the top of each slice.
  6. Flip and caramelize. Turn the slices, raise the heat to medium and fry for 2–3 minutes more, until deep golden and caramelized on both sides.
  7. Onto a rack. Move the finished slices straight onto a wire rack — never a plate — so the crust stays crisp while you fry the rest.
  8. Serve. Serve warm, stacked, with raspberries, raspberry jam, a drizzle of honey and a dusting of powdered sugar.

Notes

Chef's tip: the pinch of sugar in the pan before flipping is what makes the difference — it caramelizes against the bread into a thin, crackly crust. A pinch is enough; too much and it burns before the slice is golden. More on why in the post below.
  • Second batch: wipe the pan and add fresh butter between batches, so burnt sugar from the first round doesn't scorch the next.
  • Keeping warm: slices on the rack stay crisp in a 200°F (95°C) oven for 15 minutes while you finish the rest.