French Toast Casserole
Oatmeal Shortbread Crust
Salted Caramel Banana Sauce
Serves 8-10
For the French Toast
8 whole eggs
2 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Pinch salt
1 tsp butter extract (leave out if you can’t find it)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 loaf (more or less) enriched bread. Example: potato bread, challah bread, brioche
For the Shortbread Topping
1 stick softened butter
½ cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 cup dry oatmeal
For the Salted Caramel Sauce
2 sticks butter
16 oz brown sugar
1 cup heavy cream
2 sliced bananas
1 tsp salt
Method of Prep:
This recipe is for a 5 quart casserole dish which is massive. If you have a 3 quart dish, I recommend halving the recipe.
In a medium sized mixing bowl, beat eggs until smooth. Next, mix in the milk, heavy cream, extracts, salt, and sugar. Next, spray the casserole dish with cooking spray. Place down 1 layer of bread and top with 1/3 of the egg custard mixture. Repeat until you have 3 layers of bread and egg mixture. Set aside.
Next, in a small mixing bowl, mix the dry ingredients for the shortbread topping. Add the butter and knead the mixture together with your hands. We’re just looking to incorporate the butter into the mixture. It will not be a bread dough. Next, place your hands into the bowl and grab two fists full of the shortbread mixture so that it clumps together. Gently break about the clumps so that you have some texture (some big chunks of shortbread, some little). Spread the shortbread mixture over the French toast casserole evenly. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Remove casserole from the refrigerator 2 hours before serving.
Bake casserole for approximately 45 minutes at 350 degrees covered with foil. Remove foil at 45 minutes and bake an additional 15 minutes to brown the top. You’ll know the casserole is done baking when the center reads 180 degrees on a thermometer.
For the sauce, heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and melt (be sure not to brown the butter). Add the brown sugar and mix together while heating. The mixture will look like wet sand. Cook while stirring for 3-5 minutes. When the mixture is smooth, add heavy cream and stir vigorously until caramel forms. Add salt and stir in bananas. Serve warm with a slice of French toast casserole.