Recipe: Rudi's Crème Brûlée Fancy French Toast Sticks

Hi! I'm Rudi the Bread! 

"Are you BREADy to learn about one of the oldest foods in the world? I'm bread, and people have been making and enjoying me for more than 14,000 years! Long before grocery stores, people crushed roots and grains into flour, mixed them with water, and cooked simple flatbreads over a fire. Over time, they discovered that tiny yeast organisms could make dough rise and become light, fluffy, and delicious. Bread is considered a staple food in many countries because it has been helping fuel people for thousands of years."

Meet My Friends at Rudi's Bakery

• Rudi's Bakery was founded in Boulder, Colorado, in 1976. Just like Sticky Fingers Cooking®, Rudi's believes food should be real, nourishing, joyful, and made to bring people together.
• We like Rudi's Daily Power Protein Breads: Daily Power Protein Sourdough, Daily Power Protein White, and Daily Power Protein Ancient Grain. Vegan breads with 10 grams of protein, that are Just Really Good Bread! 
• Sourdough Bread: Tangy sourdough with real bite and real benefits. That signature sourdough flavor and soft, airy texture you love, now with 10 grams of plant-based protein and 4 grams of fiber to help keep you going. Crafted with real ingredients and no engineered aftertaste, because protein bread should still taste like bread.
• White Bread: Soft, classic white bread, stepping up its game. Light, fluffy, and familiar, this is the bread everyone at the table will reach for, now with 10 grams of plant-based protein and 4 grams of fiber in every serving. Made with clean ingredients and no chalky shortcuts, it is everyday bread that works harder (without trying too hard).
• Seeded Ancient Grain Bread: Hearty, seeded, and built to satisfy. Packed with grains and a rich, nutty texture, this loaf brings depth of flavor and 10 grams of plant-based protein plus fiber to every slice. It is the kind of bread that holds up, whether you’re stacking a sandwich or powering through your day.
• Daily Power Protein Breads are Fuel that pulls their weight. They have Stronger slices, and are Simply made. Real bread. Real protein. Powerfully simple. 
• Each serving helps to support growing bodies and active minds. Protein helps build muscles, supports growth, and provides energy for learning, playing, and cooking.​​​​​​​
• French toast already contains protein from eggs, and Rudi's Daily Power Protein breads add even more. That's a delicious way to help fuel your day!​​​​​​​
• Rudi's Bakery also believes food should be fun. Their motto is "Play with Your Food," and we couldn't agree more.
• Where to buy Rudi's Bakery Breads—Store Locator.

Bread Through History

• There is archaeological evidence that a 14,500-year-old Natufian culture in Jordan made bread, and Neolithic peoples began using grains to make bread around 10,000 BCE. In 6000 BCE, the Sumerians in southern Mesopotamia baked leavened bread using wood ash, and in 3000 BCE, the Egyptians improved the method by adding yeast to their flour.
• The history of bread probably started with primitive flatbread made from flour from available edible plants. The plant roots would have been pounded and ground against a rock to create a starchy substance that could be made into dough. If the dough was left to rest outside, air-borne yeast spores might have acted as a natural raising agent.
• Bakers later discovered they could save a little fermented dough from one batch to help the next batch rise. This starter is sometimes called a "mother dough" and is still used today when making sourdough bread.
• Eventually, bakers started experimenting with other sources of yeast, such as beer and wine. However, it was more common to set aside some fermented dough from a previous batch to form a starter for a new batch of bread dough. Bread starter is sometimes called the "mother dough" and is still used when baking sourdough bread. 
• Today, active dry yeast or instant (rapid-rise) dry yeast is an easy way to add leavening to your dough when making homemade bread.
• Bread is typically made from wheat flour, but can also be made from corn, oats, rye, and other grains. Wheat sometimes has to be added to these other flours because it has more gluten content, which creates a more elastic dough.   
• Gluten-free bread, made without wheat or other grains that have gluten, began to be sold in the early 2000s for people with celiac disease, gluten intolerance, and wheat allergies. These breads may include flours from almonds, corn, rice, or garbanzo beans, and potato or tapioca starch. 
• In addition to sourdough bread, famous in San Francisco, other white yeasted breads with a hard crust include French baguettes and Italian ciabatta. Italian focaccia bread is a flat, leavened bread brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with coarse salt. 
• There are also whole wheat, multigrain, rye, oat, and potato breads. Rustic breads are typically hand-shaped before baking rather than put in a loaf pan.
• Bread is typically baked in an oven, but if you do not have access to an oven, you can bake it on a stovetop in a cast-iron Dutch oven or a large pot or saucepan. You can also bake bread in an air fryer, slow cooker, toaster oven, or microwave, with varying results. Bread machines that mix, knead, proof, and bake are popular with some home bakers. 
• Breads made with an enriched dough that includes eggs, milk, sugar, or a combination include French brioche, Jewish babka and challah, cinnamon rolls, dinner rolls, and doughnuts. 
• The type of bread and the flour or other ingredients used determine the amount of nutrients it contains. For example, whole-grain bread has more fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals than other breads. 
• Adding whole-grain bread to your diet will help with digestion and control blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and weight. It also lowers your risk of diabetes and heart disease.

Why Whole Grains Matter

• Different breads contain different nutrients. Whole-grain breads often provide more fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals than breads made from refined flour.
• Fiber helps keep our digestive system happy, while protein helps build strong muscles and keeps us feeling satisfied longer.

Why We Love Bread

• Bread has been bringing people together for thousands of years. It shows up at breakfast, lunch, dinner, holidays, celebrations, and family meals all around the world.
• Whether it's a simple piece of toast or a fancy French toast stick, bread helps create delicious memories.