Hard Dough French Toast With Whipped Roasted Banana Almond Butter (vegan)
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Easy
"French toast is criminally underrated in my humble opinion. It’s almost like a little personal serving of bread pudding with sweet toppings, which is a wonderful thing. When I have French toast, I always think, ‘Why don’t I make this more often?’ This recipe is all about the whipped roasted banana almond butter. It’s insanely delicious and you’ll want to eat it straight from the bowl. Hard dough bread is the perfect sub for brioche – it’s already slightly sweet and is very dense, which creates a pillowy texture."
Plentiful by Denai Moore (Hardie Grant, £24) Photography by Yuki Sugiura
READ: Denai's exclusive interview with Sous Chef about the food and idea that inspire her
Ingredients
- 400 ml coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1½ tablespoons cornflour
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
- 4 thick slices of hard dough bread
- 1 tablespoon vegan block butter
For the whipped roasted banana almond butter
- 1½ tablespoons vegan block butter
- 2 ripe bananas, sliced
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 50ml dark rum
- 70g almond butter
- 150g vegan cream cheese
For the caramelised bananas
- 1 tablespoon vegan block butter
- 2 ripe bananas, halved lengthways
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup, plus extra to serve
Method
- First, make a custard. Combine all the ingredients for the French toast except the bread and butter in a shallow dish and whisk to combine.
- Next, make the whipped roasted banana almond butter. In a frying pan, melt the butter over a medium heat. Once foamy and lightly browned, add the sliced bananas. Caramelise for 3–4 minutes, then add the cinnamon, maple syrup and rum. Flambé by tipping the pan into the flame on the hob (stovetop) or using a lighter. Cook for another 2–3 minutes to reduce.
- Transfer to a food processor with the almond butter and cream cheese. Blend until light and airy, then transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- In the same pan, melt the butter for the caramelised bananas over a medium heat. Once foamy and lightly browned, add the bananas flat side down. Caramelise for 3–4 minutes, then add the maple syrup. Flip the bananas over and cook the other side. Set aside on a plate.
- Heat the remaining butter in a frying pan over a medium heat. Dip the slices of bread, two at a time, into the custard mix for 30 seconds. Allow any excess to drip off, then fry for 3–4 minutes on each side until lovely and golden brown. Repeat with the other slices of bread.
- Place a slice of French toast on a plate, top with the caramelised bananas, then add a good dollop of the whipped roasted banana almond butter and finish with extra maple syrup.
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