Baked banana French toast

Different kinds of French toast

We have French toast now and again, but tend to go for the quick and easy way of slicing bread, soaking it quickly and frying in a little butter. Usually I just use egg, maybe with just a little milk but don’t tend to get round to ‘seasoning’ the egg/custard.

However, I had often seen baked French toast recipes where you soaked the bread overnight. These seemed to lend themselves to making a bit more of a proper custard. Somehow the fact of preparing it the night before and doing a larger batch, it just made more sense, in my mind. (I’ve used the idea again in my strawberry French toast bake).

I’m glad I didn’t make up this baked banana French toast until after I had already eaten. I needed to be full enough not to start eating it, as the smell from the custard was already delicious, even before I put it in the oven.

What makes this baked banana French toast

I decided to add in bananas because we all love them in our house. Furthermore, the taste when they are baked is intensified to add a fantastic natural sweetness to the dish. I still went for a little brown sugar mixed in with some pecans on top, though, just to give a delicious tasty crisp finish. The pecan-sugar mix goes so well with everything else and really finishes things off.

This baked banana French toast is a lovely mix of soft, comforting egg-custard soaked bread with a gentle spice and a crunchy nutty and sweet topping. The banana goes slightly gooey and has that great baked sweetness.

The fact that it doesn’t take long to prepare but is also done in advance, ready to pop in the oven in the morning as you get your coffee or tea ready is all the better. Although it is tough to wait as the delicious smells drift from the oven, but it’s worth it once you dig in. And, most likely, come back for some more. It’s a perfect brunch dish, especially for a cold day.

This overnight baked banana French toast is easy to make and delicious with bananas baked in and a touch of brown sugar and pecans crisped on the top.

Looking for more brunch ideas? Try these:

Print Recipe

An easy overnight soak and quick finish in the morning make this baked banana French toast really easy to make, and the favors make it delicious to enjoy.

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Ingredients

½ tablespoon butter approx, a small knob
7 oz Brioche 200g, or challah or Portuguese sweet bread
4 eggs
1 cup milk 240ml
½ cup heavy cream 120ml double cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ginger
1 banana
3 tablespoon pecan nuts
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Instructions

Rub a baking dish with butter to lightly grease it (I used an 8x8in (20x20cm), roughly 2 quart dish).
Chop bread into chunks around 1-1 ½in/3-4cm across. Put them in the dish.
Mix together the eggs, milk, cream, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger and pour over the bread. Toss any pieces that aren’t covered in the custard and tuck them in so they form one layer, as far as possible. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
In the morning, preheat oven to 400F/190C.
Peel and slice the banana and tuck the slices in between the bread. Crumble the pecans and mix with the sugar and sprinkle over the top.
Bake for around 20 minutes until it’s gently crisp on the top and soft but underneath cooked like bread pudding, or another 5-10mins more for a slightly dryer, crisper texture.

Nutrition

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This overnight baked banana French toast is easy to make and delicious with bananas baked in and a touch of brown sugar and pecans crisped on the top. A perfect breakfast/brunch, particularly for entertaining.