Blueberry Banana French Toast

Slices of banana yeast bread soaked in a spiced custard mixture and cooked on a griddle until golden brown. Blueberry banana French toast is the ultimate homemade breakfast!

Last week, I shared the recipe for blueberry swirled banana yeast bread.

Instead of an overly sweet, dense, and cake-like banana bread, this yeast version is light and fluffy in texture and definitely not as sweet. 

Since the recipe makes two loaves, I suggest using the second loaf to make this blueberry banana French toast! 

Banana French Toast

French toast goes by many names: as pain perdu, gypsy toast, or eggy bread. It also is served in a variety of different manners and made into different flavors.

To me, the ideal French toast should be golden brown and slightly crisp on the outside, yet creamy and custard like on the inside. 

French toast is very easy to make at home. While this recipe promotes the use of this blueberry banana yeast bread, a variety of thick sliced bread will work!

French toast uses kitchen staple ingredients: bread, milk, and eggs. 

Your choice of bread is lightly soaked in a custard mixture made from milk, eggs, vanilla extract, and warm spices. 

Fresh Bread vs Older Bread for French Toast

Fresh bread is usually softer, fluffier, and more delicate. 

Drier bread is better suited for absorbing the custard batter. Therefore, when it comes to French toast or bread puddings, older (almost stale) bread is better! 

Certain types of bread work better for French toast. Spongey thick slices of brioche, challah, and Japanese milk bread are ideal.

Stay away from thin slices of standard sandwich white bread. Unfortunately, thinly sliced breads will likely fall apart. 

Denser quick breads like roasted banana bread or spiced zucchini banana bread can be used. However, those breads require more soaking and longer cooking times. 

Custard Mixture Do’s and Don’ts:

In my opinion, these’s nothing worse than French toast that tastes like an eggy overcooked omelette. Let’s stay away from that.

• Use an immersion band blender (or standard countertop blender) to quickly mix together the custard batter. Egg whites and egg yolks should be thoroughly incorporated.
• Flavor the custard with pure vanilla extract and your choices of spices such cinnamon, nutmeg, or orange zest.
• Be careful not to over-soak the bread. Consequently, bread may fall apart and may be difficult to transfer to skillet. 

Best tip for cooking French Toast

(I learned this tip from Serious Eats.)

After cooking one side of the toast, sprinkle a little bit of sugar on the raw side before flipping. Normally the side of the bread cooked first gets the richer, golden crust.

Adding the sprinkle of sugar helps to create a nice browned, almost caramel finish to the second side of the toast.

Serving and Leftovers

This blueberry banana French toast is best enjoyed warm, fresh from the skillet. Serve with a pat of salted butter and a drizzle of pure maple syrup. 

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Gently reheat in a toaster oven.