Last week, at the lodge, I decided to try a French toast recipe that I saw last summer as a winning “original” recipe in our electric coop magazine (interesting, because it was published by Betty Crocker, at least 6 years ago)! I made a few changes that I thought could only make it better, and it was a pretty big hit. Walmart sells a thick sliced brioche bread that’s delicious, so it’s one of the changes I made to the original cinnamon bread ingredient. It’s a fabulous make ahead treat, particularly for company – just pure gooey deliciousness. The topping is much like that on sticky buns.
Overnight Banana French Toast (Breakfast)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1/4 cup light corn syrup
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
- Sliced brioche bread (I used a little over one loaf - no ends)
- 3 medium bananas, sliced
- 6 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups half and half
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Grease a 13x9 glass baking dish.
- Combine well, in large bowl, brown sugar, butter, and corn syrup. Spread mixture into baking dish.
- Sprinkle nuts over sugar mixture.
- Arrange a layer of bread on top of nuts and sugar mixture, tearing bread to fit if needed (don't use ends, because they won't soak up egg mixture well).
- Sprinkle cinnamon over bread.
- Lay sliced bananas over bread.
- Cover bananas with another layer of bread.
- In medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla, and 1/2 - 1 tsp cinnamon. Pour slowly over bread. Cover tightly, and refrigerate overnight, but not more than 24 hours.
- Heat oven to 325°F. Bake french toast, uncovered, 45 to 55 minutes. Knife inserted in center should come out clean.
- Serve portions upside down, spooning butter, sugar mixture from bottom of dish over each serving. Or, after it cools slightly, turn entire baking dish onto parchment lined shallow baking pan. Spoon all the extra butter, sugar mixture over the top.