Fun fact about me: I love breakfast, but I’m not a HUGE fan of eggs for breakfast. Call me crazy, but I get tired of eggs real fast and it seems like most breakfast entrees at restaurants or requested meals for when I plan a brunch for friends (insert hair flip) require eggs because they “have protein” and “are generally healthy”. Sometimes I need something different that will be satisfying but not in a sugar-y way (like a Donut…which ironically always sounds good for breakfast. Or for lunch. Or anytime, really).
I woke up recently after a particularly long night of good wine, and in true form I was starving from the minute I was awake. Eggs sounded like the LAST thing I wanted, and so did bacon (I know…it feels insane to admit that even now). Growing up my Mom used to make Jamie Oliver’s Stuffed French Toast, but this included cream cheese and a lot of sugar. Believe it or not, my breakfast dish is not overpowered by sugar at all. It’s a perfect combination of fruit and french toast that’s so freaking delicious you will want seconds…and thirds…and you will thank me later!
P R E P
The prep for this is simple but will take more time than the actual cooking time, so make sure you set everything out before you get started. Place your fruit out, get all the items for the french toast ready to go, and pour yourself a Mimosa.
What you’ll need
- 1 large bowl. This will be for the french toast mixture.
- 1 small bowl. This will be for your fruit mixture.
- 1 large skillet.
- 1 loaf of bread, specifically 8-10 slices. I went with whole wheat, but any kind of thicker white bread is the traditional way to go for french toast.
- 4 large eggs.
- 2/3 cup of milk. I did 2%!
- 1/4 cup of flour. Feel free to use any kind of flour, but I used all-purpose.
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
- 3-4 ripe bananas.
- Your choice of fruit (3-6 oz of any combination)! I did blueberries, blackberries and raspberries. The more the merrier.
- Powdered sugar. This will be to sprinkle on top…do not omit this, it’s crucial!
Total Prep Time: 20 minutes.
Total Cooking Time: 30-40 minutes.
Servings: 4.
Directions
- Using your larger bowl, combine eggs, milk, flour, cinnamon, vanilla extract and salt. Mix WELL–the flour may make the mixture lumpy so be sure to either use a whisk or a blender to smooth it out.
- Using your smaller bowl, add bananas and smash with a fork. Add in all other fruit.
- I buttered each slice of bread (makes a big difference), but if you’d rather not just be sure to spray your skillet with non-stick spray.
- Heat your skillet at medium heat. While this is heating up, place a piece of bread into the french toast mixture (the larger bowl) and let it get fully soaked. Once the skillet is hot, add the bread and cook until it’s golden brown on each side.
- Continue with the rest of the bread slices. I did mine in batches because I was so hungry, so I made them one at a time. If you’re cooking for more than 2 people I’d recommend putting the cooked french toast in the oven to stay warm.
- Spread about 1/2 cup of the fruit mixture on one slice of french toast, and add an additional french toast slice on top.
- Top with powdered sugar (NECESSARY), and any additional fruit toppings. YUM.
POST COOKING NOTES
- I made two different fruit mixtures to see which one would be better; one was the banana with berries, and one was banana with almond butter. My boyfriend made the decision on this one: although the almond butter/banana combo was delicious, the fruit combo was the true winner. Feel free to get creative and add in other items…you can’t go wrong with the banana as your base!
- I wouldn’t recommend salvaging any leftovers (god forbid you have any), because the banana mixture will get brown pretty quickly. Be generous when scooping the mixture on your toast–the most thickly you pack in the toast, the better!
Enjoy! Follow me on Instagram @basickneadss (TWO s’) for more yummy recipes!
Basic Kneads 