Saturday, January 7, 2017

Buttermilk Banana French Toast

I am a fan of bananas, especially in the form of a baked good (if you couldn't tell from my descriptions of banana pancakes). As my first post in over a year (and post-graduation), I think it fitting to write this post on a recipe for banana bread French toast - with a twist! After buying a half-gallon of buttermilk for quiche and biscuits, I realized I needed to be much more ambitious if I actually intended to use all of it. Cue the scrolling through recipes that used buttermilk on Allrecipes and coming across something for a buttermilk-based custard for a breakfast casserole. That and the left-over banana bread sitting on the counter made for a great breakfast.

What I loved most about this recipe was that the buttermilk had such a delightful effect on the banana bread. The tanginess of buttermilk paired well with the sweetness in the bread and the bit of brown sugar added to the mix. Better yet, it made the best brown crunch on the outside! I even added a little extra mashed banana to keep that flavor profile in the custard and it worked just as intended.

Ingredients (5-6 pieces of French toast):
5-6 moderately thick slices of banana bread
1 c buttermilk
1/4 c brown sugar
1/2 medium banana, mashed
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp cinnamon and nutmeg
pinch salt
butter, for pan

Beat the egg and whisk it together with the other ingredients, aside from bread and butter. Pour mixture into a pan and dip each slice of bread in, allowing the slices to soak in the mixture for about 5 minutes per side. I poke my bread with a fork several times to make holes for the custard mixture to really soak through the bread. As your bread slices are taking a bath, heat a pan with butter in it to low-medium heat. When the butter has begun to bubble just slightly, place your slices in the pan. Do not overcrowd! Cook in batches as necessary. Allow the slices of banana bread to brown on each side, and then enjoy this twist on French toast with some yogurt on the side. Plain Greek yogurt goes nicely in my opinion, but cream cheese or fresh fruit would be great too.