My friends Sarah, Sacha, and I got together for homemade brunch a few weeks ago and Sacha shared this amazing recipe with us. Imagine a classic PB-and-banana sandwich, dipped in french toast batter and topped with maple syrup and more fresh fruit. Doesn’t that sound divine?
Well, it was, and it was a blast to make, too. The three of us pottered around Sarah’s kitchen, slicing fruit, whisking the batter, frying the toast (I was also on tea duty — surprise! Haha), and having a great time. The best part was that we got to enjoy the fruits of our labour on Sarah’s gorgeous rooftop patio, basking in the sunshine. It was nothing short of perfect.
This recipe is very family-friendly and pretty affordable. It’s also a great way to involve kids with cooking, since some of the jobs are safe even for younger children to do (spreading peanut butter over toast, whisking the eggs and milk, etc.). So if you’re looking for something special to do with your family — perhaps in honour of Father’s Day coming up? — consider whipping these french toast sandwiches up as a family!
Peanut Butter and Banana French Toast Sandwiches
for 4 sandwiches
8 slices day-old egg bread
2-3 ripe bananas
peanut butter (or another nut butter of your choice)
1 egg
1/2 cup skim milk
cinnamon
nutmeg
butter or margarine
1. Melt a small amount of butter in a frying pan over medium-low heat.
2. Slice your bananas into 1/2-inch thick slices.
3. Spread about 1 tbsp of peanut butter on each slice of egg bread. Arrange banana slices evenly over the entire surface of 4 pieces of bread, then top with the remaining 4 slices.
4. In a shallow wide bowl or dish, whisk the egg and milk together. Sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg powder to taste and stir to combine. You may also wish to add a bit of vanilla to your batter if you want it a bit sweeter.
5. To prepare the sandwiches for frying, carefully dip the bread pieces in the egg batter and hold for 5 seconds, then flip the sandwich and repeat on the other side. Be careful not to submerge the sandwich in the batter, as the raw eggs will not cook if they are inside the sandwich (they will stay raw on the peanut butter and/or bananas).
A shot of one of the sandwiches in progress, as well as the french toast batter.
6. Fry each side of the sandwich for 5-8 minutes, until the bread is golden brown and slightly crispy. You may need to adjust the temperature of your stove, depending on how quickly the bread cooks — you want to avoid burning the outer layer of the sandwich but having the insides still raw. Also make sure to add some butter to the pan in between sandwiches to keep them from sticking to the pan.
7. Top the french toast sandwiches with a few extra slices of banana and drizzle with maple syrup, and serve immediately.
Al fresco brunch has got to be one of my favourite things, especially when this is on the menu!
dontforgettheoliveoil 