I recently had a dilemma that I feel most of you will be able to relate to. I’d had a busy weekend, and when I got back to the daily grind on Monday, I went to grab a banana for the road only to find that they were way past my desired ripeness for eating. It was either time to make a smoothie or banana bread, and my lack of willpower led me straight to the banana bread. And yes, you guessed it, I headed straight for my mom’s recipe!
I’ve always loved warm banana bread smeared with peanut butter, so I figured I could jazz up my favorite snack a little bit. In the process, I developed, what I think is, the perfect brunch (or lunch, or dinner for that matter) dish. Yes, I’d eat my Peanut Butter Stuffed Banana Bread French Toast just about any time of day!
My dad is one of those people that believes nuts don’t belong in baked goods, so I’ve followed suit in this recipe. Feel free to get crazy and add nuts if you wish! While I love banana bread right out of the oven, for this application, the banana bread is best made the day before. Be sure and hide it, otherwise it may be gone before you get to the french toast!
Banana Bread
3 bananas, ripe, mashed
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup sugar
½ cup shortening
2 Tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Grease your loaf pan.
3. Mash the bananas with a fork.
4. Add the beaten eggs and mix well.
5. Add the sugar, shortening, and milk. Mix to break up the shortening into small pieces.
6. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt.
7. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix to combine.
8. Scrape batter into pan.
9. Bake for 60-70 minutes until done.
So you managed to save a few slices of banana bread? Check out my french toast recipe below!
Peanut Butter Stuffed Banana Bread French Toast
Makes 4 servings
8 slices banana bread, about ½ inch thick
½ cup peanut butter
4 eggs
¼ cup milk
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
4 slices of bacon (if you really want to get crazy!)
2 Tablespoons butter
1 banana and maple syrup, for garnish
1. If using bacon, cook four slices until crisp, and crumble, set aside.
2. Beat together eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla bean paste in a shallow bowl (that makes dipping easier!).
3. Spread 2 tablespoons of peanut butter on 4 of the slices of banana bread, and soak bread in batter.
4. Soak each peanut butter smeared slice (top with bacon if you choose) and top with a second slice of banana bread (essentially making a sandwich), and flip second side into batter until well saturated.
5. Melt butter in skillet and cook each sandwich until golden brown on each side.
6. Top each sandwich with sliced banana and maple syrup and enjoy!
If you mastered this banana bread and are looking to step up your baking skills, check out some of our amazing baking classes coming up at The Chopping Block:
- Bagel Brunch at the Merchandise Mart on Sunday, 3/4
- How To Bake Bread at the Merchandise Mart on Sunday 3/11 and Sunday 3/25 and at Lincoln Square on Saturday 3/17
- Fabulous French Pastries at Lincoln Square on Sunday 3/18
- Pie and Tart Boot Camp at Lincoln Square on Sunday 3/25
