This breakfast combines the flavors of French toast with banana bread, using thick slices of premade banana bread that are soaked in an eggy custard mixture and cooked until golden brown. A crunchy corn flake coating gives this Banana French Toast an extra crunch, while the custard is flavored with cinnamon, vanilla, and fresh bananas.
The dish is finished with maple syrup and a banana whipped cream, making it perfect for any occasion, whether you’re hosting a brunch or enjoying a lazy Sunday morning at home. French toast is best enjoyed the day it is made. But this is a wonderful way to use up some leftover banana bread that you have sitting around.
Crunchy Banana Bread French Toast
This breakfast combines the flavors of French toast with banana bread, using thick slices of premade banana bread that are soaked in an eggy custard mixture and cooked until golden brown. A crunchy corn flake coating gives this Banana French Toast an extra crunch, while the custard is flavored with cinnamon, vanilla, and fresh bananas. The dish is finished with maple syrup and a banana whipped cream, making it perfect for any occasion, whether you're hosting a brunch or enjoying a lazy Sunday morning at home.
Ingredients
For the French Toast:
- 1 loaf of banana bread
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 5 whole eggs (beaten)
- ½ cup white granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 cups corn flakes (crushed to a small size)
- 8 Tbsp (1 stick) softened butter
For the Whipped Banana Cream:
- 1 ripe banana
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream (cold)
- 1 Tbsp white granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
For the Additional Toppings:
- 4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) salted butter (softened)
- 1 cup Maple syrup (heated up)
- 1 banana (sliced)
- 1 Tbsp powdered sugar
- 2 cups whipped banana cream (which you made earlier)
Instructions
- Slice your banana bread into ¾” thick slices.
- You’ll want to let these slices dry out a bit by leaving them in the open air for a few hours or by placing them in the oven at 200F for an hour to dry out.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the vanilla, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon, milk, and heavy cream.
- Add the mixture to the stove, and cook on low heat stirring constantly until the liquid is roughly 165F.
- Remove the mixture from the heat and add it to a casserole dish.
- Soak the banana bread slices overnight or for a few hours in the casserole dish with the sweetened egg and milk and cream mixture.
- When you are ready to cook the French toast, add the crushed cornflakes to a wide bowl or dish.
- Drain any excess egg mixture off the slices of the banana bread, and dip each slice of banana bread into the bowl of crushed cornflakes, making sure to fully coat each slice.
- Heat up a non-stick frying pan over medium heat, add a tablespoon of butter, and let it melt.
- Next, place your cornflake-coated banana bread French toast slices into the pan, and cook each side for about three minutes, or until they're perfectly crispy and golden brown.
- Once your slices are cooked to golden brown, stack them on a plate and keep them warm as you make your whipped cream.
- For the banana whipped cream, peel and mash the banana in a mixing bowl until they are smooth.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whip the cold heavy cream until it forms soft peaks.
- Add the sugar and vanilla extract to the whipped cream and continue to whip until it forms stiff peaks.
- Fold the mashed banana into the whipped cream mixture until somewhat evenly distributed.
- Serve the whipped cream immediately, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Finally, plate and serve your French toast with a drizzle of sweet maple syrup, some sliced bananas, whipped cream, and powdered sugar.
Notes
French toast is best enjoyed the day it is made. But this is a wonderful way to use up some leftover banana bread that you have sitting around.