Growing up we were the healthy family. We kept a kosher diet as we were Seventh day Adventist, and the religion required a kosher diet while suggesting veganism as the optimal choice. My mother was pretty invested in the health message, which meant no junk food, soda, chips, or too much sugar. In our world that meant no desserts except for cake on our birthdays. There was the occasional times she would make us French toast. I have vivid memories of her whipping up a batch of french toast for us one Saturday night. It began my love affair with french toast.
A spent the better part of the fall out of town. The majority of that time was spent in Maryland. In that time I was able to rest and reset from the fast pace of the months leading up to that moment. While there I revisited old recipes and made some new ones, especially because I had an avid audience of taste testers. So I decided to recreate my french toast recipe with a twist. I wanted to make French toast with French Bread. So here is what happened.
Ingredients
1 ripe banana
1 1/4 cups unsweetened almond milk (I prefer coconut milk)
1 Tbsp ground flaxseed
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
pinch of Himalayan sea salt
1 baguette of French bread
Instructions
Mash banana in a large shallow bowl.
Add almond milk, flaxseed, vanilla extract, almond extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, and stir. If batter appears is super thick add more almond milk to thin it out. It should be pourable.
Let batter rest for 5 minutes while you cut bread into 2" slices.
Preheat your griddle or skillet to medium heat.
Once your surface is hot, coat generously coconut oil.
Dip your slices of bread into the batter and let it rest for 10-20 seconds on each side, using your fingers to make sure it's fully submerged. Transfer immediately to skillet.
Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side or until evenly golden brown. Flip carefully using a sturdy spatula as the batter tends to stick.
Serve immediately with desired toppings. I used agave, banana, and Willliams Sonoma pecan pumpkin butter (heaven in a jar).
