Does this ever happen to you?  Your kids request something on the grocery list, and then they don’t eat it!  My son had been asking for bananas.  And for several weeks, he ate them.  Then, I bought a bunch and they sat there.  Getting brown and ugly.  Banana bread time.  I was also preparing for Mother’s Day Brunch.  So I thought, how about banana bread French toast.  But one of my goals for Mother’s Day Brunch is not to spend a lot of time in the kitchen.  This means a make-ahead.  It means Banana Bread French Toast Bake.

Last year I made Creme Brule French Toast for Mother’s Day Brunch which is similar to a strata, but sweet, so I thought why couldn’t I do something like that except with banana bread.  I looked around and I couldn’t fine a recipe that fit my needs, so I do what any good food blogger does.  I made my own!

Banana Bread French Toast Bake

Start with your favorite banana bread.  Truthfully, I go with Betty on this one.  And, yes, I add nuts.  Walnuts.  Lots of them too.  I don’t measure, just crush them in my hands to make the pieces a little smaller.  Oh, and that is so my chopped nuts hack for walnuts and pecans–just crush them/break them up in my hands. Then, grease a 9 x 13 baking dish. I used a canola oil spray, but you could use butter or whatever you have on hand.

Slice your bread into 1/2 inch -3/4 inch pieces and lay them in a single layer in your baking dish. Reserve the ends for eating. I also trimmed the tops to make the slices more rectangular to fit better in the baking dish. (And isn’t that the best part anyway, hello deliciousness.)

Prepare a custard of eggs, milk, heavy cream, vanilla, cinnamon and a touch of sugar. Pour it over the bread slices. I mixed mine in a 4 cup measuring cup.  Measure the heavy cream and milk first, then add the eggs and other ingredients.  You can use a flat whisk to get everything mixed well and then it is easy to pour over the bread.

Cover with plastic wrap and then, let it soak for a 2-3 hours or over night. I made mine and then we went to church. It was ready to go in the oven when we got home.  You will know it is ready because all the liquid will be soaked into the banana bread.

Bake in a 350° oven for 35-40 minutes.  Serve with butter and real maple syrup.  (See my post about Making Maple Syrup.)  Or your could just give it a sprinkling of powdered sugar.

Recipe note:  I used heavy cream because we had it.  Sunshine was in charge of dessert and she planned to make her award winning Maple Mousse.  I’m sure that you could use all milk if you don’t have the heavy cream.  It would just have a lighter flavor.

Plan a Brunch

So Father’s Day is coming up.  And truthfully, Sunday morning brunch is just a loverly thing.  Make a up a batch of Banana Bread French Toast Bake and a Spinach, Artichoke, Sausage Egg Bake (Whole 30).  Add a pot of coffee and a mimosa bar and you are good to go!  Enjoy and let us know what you think.

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