Cinnamon Raisin Bread French Toast

Why didn’t I think of this before? French Toast made even more delectable by using fancy bread? How had this not occurred to me earlier?! Don’t waste another weekend breakfast without this dish in your life. The extra sweetness from the cinnamon and raisins almost makes syrup unnecessary. I could just pick up a slice and eat it with my hands! And it’s good cold too. Oh, is it good cold. French toast tastes like Saturday and Sunday morning to me, and this version makes it taste even more like dessert!

Cinnamon Raisin Bread French Toast

Makes 6 Servings

Total time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

1 loaf cinnamon raisin bread, sliced

4 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

Pinch salt

Tbsp butter

Maple syrup for serving

Makes 6 servings

1. Mix eggs, milk, vanilla, and salt and pour into a large plate.

2. Lay the bread in the egg mixture and flip to coat both sides. 

3. Melt about 1/4 Tbsp of butter in a pan and cook a few French toast slices over medium-low heat until golden brown, about 1 minute on each side. Repeat until the whole loaf is cooked. Serve with maple syrup and enjoy!

If you are able to slice your own cinnamon raisin bread, thick slices work best for french toast! 

Mix together the milk, eggs, vanilla, and a pinch of salt for the batter.

It's easiest to flip the bread in the batter if it's in a large plate!

Coat both sides of the bread in the batter. 

Cook in a little bit of melted butter on both sides...

Until the french toast is golden brown!

I really wish I had some powdered sugar to put on top! Serve with syrup and devour. There's something about a special big breakfast on the weekends. Lounging around in pajamas for way too long, drinking coffee, and eating a decadent breakfast that you might not have time for during the week - make some cinnamon raisin bread french toast and you'll be one happy camper!

Summer (Fruit) Lovin' Bread

I inherited a giant box of organic produce this week! I'm excited to have a ton of delicious fruits and vegetables to experiment with. One fruit we have plenty of (and I don't mind one bit) is plums! I ate them all the time as a child but I don't remember the last time I had them besides this week. I few of my friends even tried them for the very first time when I made this recipe! The batter is inspired by an awesome banana bread recipe that never fails me. I've adapted it a few times and made Mango Banana Bread a few months ago that was FANTASTIC. I love the little chunks of plum and cherry in this bread. You get a background sweetness from the batter that balances the tartness of the fruit nicely. Maybe I'll even throw in some blueberries next time!

Summer (Fruit) Lovin’ Bread

Makes 1 loaf
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour and 25 minutes

Ingredients

2 plums

1/2 cup chopped cherries

3/4 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cups whole wheat flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

6 Tbsp butter, softened

4 oz cream cheese, softened (1/2 a block)

1/4 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1. Wash, remove pit, and chop plums and cherries.

2. In a large bowl mix together butter and cream cheese. Mix in sugars and vanilla until evenly combined. Mix in egg.

3. In a separate bowl mix together both flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to butter and cream cheese mixture until fully combined.

4. Mix in cherries and plums. Bake in a greased and floured loaf pan in a 350 degrees F oven for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let it cool for a little, and enjoy!

Aren't they beautiful! I love the deep colors of the plums and cherries. So scrumptious. Clean, remove the pit, and chop the cherries and plums!

Mix together butter and cream cheese until combined. Add sugars and vanilla and mix.

Add the egg and mix until combined.

Mix white flour, wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl. I find that using half wheat flour doesn't compromise the texture at all.

Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter and cream cheese mixture until fully combined.

Add the sweet summer fruit! The batter is VERY dense so you have to kind of pat in down in the loaf pan.

Bake in a greased and floured loaf pan in a 350 degrees F oven for an 1 hour and 10 minutes. Stick a toothpick in and if it comes out clean, it's done!

This bread warmed up and your morning coffee = breakfast heaven. I love the colors and the little bits of fruit you get that are still juicy. And the bread is so moist and dense from the cream cheese. MMmm. Use your beautiful summer fruit for some warm Summer (Fruit) Lovin' Bread!

Mango Banana Bread

This recipe calls for a whole package of cream cheese... need I say more? Well anyway, I've made this recipe as solely banana bread before and I LOVE IT (notice again... a WHOLE PACKAGE OF CREAM CHEESE). I looked at the recipe and said to myself... I'll bet any mashed up fruit (as long as it had a similar consistency to mashed up bananas) would taste wonderful in this recipe. I'll bet it's fantastic with peaches but my grocery store didn't have any fresh ones today, so I went with mangos! I think next time I'll even use two mangos. As long as you keep the rest of the recipe the same and use 1 1/2 cups TOTAL of mashed up fruit, I think it will come out beautifully!

Mango Banana Bread

Makes two 8 X 4 inch loaves
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour
Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup mashed bananas (about 3 large bananas)
1/2 cup mashed mango (about 1 mango)
1 package cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all purpose white flour
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease and flour two 8 X 4 inch loaf pans.
 
2. Cut up bananas and mash in a bowl with a fork.
 
3. Cut up mango (directions here) and mash in a bowl with a fork.
 
4. Mix cream cheese and butter in a large bowl until creamy.
 
5. Gradually add sugar and mix until light and fluffy.
 
6. Add eggs one at a time.
 
7. Combine wheat flour and white flour and mix. Add baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and combine.
 
8. Gradually add flour mixture to cream cheese mixture.
 
9. Stir in mashed bananas, mashed mango, and vanilla.
 
10. Pour mixture into two loaf pans and bake for one hour. Insert a wooden stick or butter knife and if it comes out clean they're done! Enjoy!

Based on what was fresh in my grocery store today, I went with bananas and mangos! I REALLY want to try this recipe with bananas and peaches though. Yum!

Cut up your bananas and mangos in small enough pieces that they are easy to mash with a fork. This video shows you how to cut up a mango. It has a pit inside that you have to avoid!

Mash up your fruit with a fork! Leave some chunks if you want some texture.

Sigh. I just can't get over the cream cheese. The final result is so dense and moist and tasty! Mix the softened butter and cream cheese together.

Gradually mix the sugar into the cream cheese and butter mixture.

Add one egg at a time.

I like using half wheat flour and half white flour lately. I don't think it compromises the texture at all and it adds a tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiny bit of something that's not terrible for you.

Gradually add the flour mixture to the cream cheese and butter mixture.

It will be pretty thick.

Stir in the mashed up bananas, mashed up mango, and vanilla. I may or may not have eaten a spoonfull or two of the batter. I just can't help myself!

Pour into two greased and floured loaf pans and bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour!

Ooooooo

It is quite delicious! And I'm really looking forward to experimenting with the fruit combinations now that I know it will work! You will enjoy it, I promise.