Bananas Foster French Toast are tender and golden brioche French toast topped with the most decadent caramelized brown sugar banana topping. This easy French toast recipe is mouthwatering delicious!
✔️ Bananas Foster French Toast
There is nothing quite like having fluffy, golden classic French toast smothered in warm maple syrup for breakfast, but on the weekends or on special occasions, there is nothing better than these Bananas Foster French Toast with caramelized bananas and sweet crunchy pecans. Seriously the absolute best French toast ever!
To make this homemade French Toast recipe, brioche bread is dipped in rich vanilla – cinnamon infused custard and then cooked to golden perfection. The topping, a combination of caramelized bananas and pecans smothered in warm buttery brown sugar syrup, is out of this world delicious
What is Bananas Foster French Toast?
Bananas Foster is a famous New Orleans dessert made with bananas, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, dark rum and banana liquor. After cooking the bananas in the sweet syrup, the rum and banana liquors are added and then ignited to burn off the alcohol. Bananas Foster is usually topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. In this easy French toast recipe, I combine a tasty breakfast recipe with a delicious easy dessert for the ultimate most amazing breakfast or brunch treat!
Bananas Foster French Toast Ingredients
To make things simple and easy, I divided this recipe for French toast into two easy parts. The basic French toast recipe portion and the bananas foster topping portion.
Brioche French Toast:
- Brioche – Challah or white bread works wonderfully for this French toast recipe.
- Butter – For cooking the French toast, I use unsalted butter. Cooking spray can be used.
- Eggs – I use large eggs.
- Granulated Sugar – just a little sugar is needed as the topping will provide additional sweetness.
- Half and Half – You can use whole milk although Half and Half produces a richer custard
- Cinnamon – A must have spice for this recipe.
- Vanilla Extract – gives a great flavor to the custard.
Bananas Foster Topping:
- Butter – Unsalted preferably.
- Brown Sugar – I use light brown sugar.
- Maple Syrup – Real maple syrup can be expensive but this is a great recipe to splurge on.
- Rum – I use dark rum. White rum can be used also. If you prefer to stay away from spirits, use rum extract.
- Pecans – You can use roasted or raw pecans.
- Bananas – Use ripe bananas that don’t have a lot of dark spots on them (see photo below). Overripe bananas don’t hold their shape in the sauce.
How Do You Make French Toast?
- First, make the French toast custard. In a bowl or shallow dish, mix the eggs, vanilla, cinnamon and Half and Half. Whisk until well combined.
- Preheat a skillet or griddle over medium-low heat. When you are ready to cook the French toast, add the butter to the skillet or griddle (not before).
- In batches, dip the bread slices into the custard to coat both sides. Remove the bread from the custard mixture letting the excess moisture drip off.
- Place the bread in the skillet or griddle and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes per side or until golden brown.
To Make The Bananas Foster Topping:
- To make this delicious French toast topping, in a saute pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and maple syrup and whisk until well combined. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the sugar has melted and the mixture has thickened slightly.
- Stir in the pecans and mix well. Then add the banana slices and cook for about a minute.
- Remove the pan from the heat and add the rum.
- Return the pan to the heat and cook for a couple of minutes. This will help to burn off the alcohol leaving you with just a rum taste.
- Serve the French toast and top it with the caramelized banana mixture.
Helpful Tip:
Keep your food warm by placing the cooked slices of French toast in a warm oven (250° F). You can also place the pan with the topping in the oven or simply keep it on the stove top at the lowest heat setting.
How Do You Make French Toast Not Soggy?
To prevent soggy French toast, make sure you don’t dip the bread into the custard for too long. 2 to 3 seconds is all the time needed for the bread to soak in the rich custard.
What Kind Of Milk To Use To Make French Toast Custard?
Although this recipe uses Half and Half or whole milk, the truth is you can use any type of milk to make French toast. Whole milk, skim milk, fat-free milk or heavy cream can be used. Obviously, heavy cream makes the richest custard. If you want to make dairy free French toast, almond milk or soy milk can be used as well.
What Is The Best Bread for French Toast?
You can make French toast with many types of bread. For this breakfast recipe, I prefer to use Brioche, Challah or white bread. These breads are soft and can easily fall apart when dipped into the custard. To prevent the bread from falling apart, follow these steps:
- Cut the bread slices between 3/4 and 1 inch thick.
- Use stale bread or oven-dry the bread.
- To oven-dry the bread, place the bread slices on a baking sheet and bake in a 275° F oven for about 30 to 45 minutes (depending on the thickness of the bread) flipping the slices at least once for even drying.
Best French Toast Recipe Tips
- Whisk the custard until the eggs are well incorporated to prevent having pieces of egg holding on to the bread edges while cooking.
- Quickly whisk the custard before dipping the bread pieces to prevent all the cinnamon sticking to a piece of bread.
- Cook the French toast over moderate heat. If your pan gets too hot, the butter will brown too quickly. Also the bread may get brown too quickly without giving the custard time to cook.
- The alcohol in the rum burns off when you simmer the sauce making this French toast recipe kid friendly!
Other Breakfast Ideas:
More Favorite Recipes from Lemon Blossoms
Bananas Foster French Toast
Ingredients
- 12 slices brioche bread (day old is best)
- Unsalted Butter for frying, (about 6 tablespoons or more, as needed)
- Whipped cream for serving (optional)
To Make the Custard
- 4 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups half and half or whole milk
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
To Make the Banana Topping
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup dark rum or 1 teaspoon rum extract
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)
- 2 firm bananas, peeled and sliced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
To Make the Custard
- In a medium bowl or shallow dish, whisk together the eggs, sugar, Half and Half (or milk), cinnamon and vanilla.
To Make the French Toast
- Preheat a skillet or griddle over medium-low heat.
- In batches, dip the bread into the custard to coat both sides. Remove the bread from the custard mixture letting the excess moisture drip off.
- Add 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter into the skillet. Place the bread in the pan and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes per side or until lightly golden. Remove the French toast from the skillet and place on a rack or baking sheet in the oven to keep warm. Add more butter to the pan as needed and repeat with the remaining bread.
To Make the Banana Topping
- Heat the butter in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Whisk in the brown sugar and maple syrup and cook for about 5 minutes or until all the sugar has melted and thickened slightly. Add the pecans (if using) and mix to combine. Add the banana slices and cook for about a minute. Remove the pan from the heat and add the rum or rum extract. Return the pan to the heat and cook for about 3-4 minutes. This will burn off the alcohol in the rum leaving you with just the flavor.
- To serve, place a couple slices of French toast on a plate and spoon the bananas and syrup over the French toast. Serve immediately with a dollop of whipped cream (optional)
Notes
- Stale bread or oven-dried bread works best for this recipe.
- The alcohol in the rum evaporates as you simmer the sauce. However, you can use rum extract, if you prefer.
- The bread cooking times will vary depending on the thickness and density of the bread and the amount of custard soaked into each piece of bread.
- You can make the custard the night before. When ready to use, place the mixture in a shallow dish, like a pie plate or baking dish to easily dip the bread.
- The alcohol in the rum burns off when you simmer the sauce making this French toast recipe kid friendly!
- Nutrition facts are only an estimate and will vary depending on brand of ingredients used.
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