Stuffed French Toast
This stuffed French toast sandwich recipe shines at breakfast and brunch. Bananas, strawberries, and low-calorie cream cheese keep it healthy.
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Servings: 6 sandwiches
Ingredients
FOR THE FILLING:
- 8 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese or Neufchatel, softened to room temperature
- 2 tablespoons fruit jam or maple syrup, or honey (I used apricot jam)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Pinch kosher salt
- ½ cup thinly sliced fresh strawberries or try peaches!
- ⅓ cup thinly sliced banana or more strawberries, peaches, or fruit of choice
FOR THE FRENCH TOAST:
- 12 thick about 1/2-inch slices of day-old bread* (about 1 large loaf; I used whole grain sourdough)
- 4 large eggs
- ¾ cup milk any kind you like. I used 1%
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Butter or nonstick spray
FOR SERVING:
- Pure maple syrup
- Sliced bananas and strawberries
- Whipped Cream
Instructions
- If you’d like to keep the French toast warm between batches, preheat your oven to 225 degrees F.
- Prepare the cream cheese filling: In a mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese, jam, vanilla, and salt.
- Assemble the stuffed French toast: Spread 1 side of each of the 12 slices of bread with a layer of the cream cheese mixture, dividing it evenly between each and leaving a 1/4-inch border around all sides.
- Arrange a layer of strawberry and banana slices on top of 6 of the slices. (It's okay for the fruit to overlap a little bit).
- Lay the remaining 6 slices on top, cream-cheese side down, to create a French toast “sandwich.”
- In a shallow baking dish or bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, cinnamon, and vanilla extract.
- To cook the French toast: Heat a large non-stick skillet or griddle over medium-low heat (about 325 to 350 degrees F on an electric griddle). Melt butter in the skillet, or coat with nonstick spray. Working one or two at a time, dip each sandwich in egg mixture, turning it a few times to thoroughly coat. If your bread is very dense and doesn't readily absorb the egg mixture (mine was), let the sandwich sit in the egg mixture for 10 to 20 seconds on each side to give the bread time to absorb it (the sandwiches shouldn't be completely soggy, but you do want the egg mixture to penetrate more than just the very outsides; if your bread is very dense, it may need closer to 30 seconds a side).
- Lift up each sandwich and allow any excess mixture to drip off the bread and back into the bowl. Cook the sandwiches for 8 to 10 minutes, until golden on both sides and the custard is cooked through, gently flipping once halfway through. Keep the heat low and adjust as needed so that the French toast cooks and turns lightly crisp and golden on the outside but does not burn.
- If desired, place the French toast on a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven while you prepare remaining batches. Serve hot with toppings of choice.
Notes
- *For a more decadent spin, make brioche French toast (swapping brioche bread for the whole grain bread) or challah. For max speed and ease, use Texas Toast. If your bread isn’t stale or is very fresh/soft, toast it in the oven at 350 degrees for 8 minutes, flipping it once halfway through.
- TO STORE: Place leftovers in an airtight storage container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- TO REHEAT: Gently rewarm French toast in a nonstick skillet until cooked through.
- TO FREEZE: Tightly wrap individual stuffed French toast “sandwiches.” Freeze for up to 1 month. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
Serving: 1stuffed slice without toppingsCalories: 465kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 17gFat: 38gSaturated Fat: 14gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 179mgPotassium: 377mgFiber: 1gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 459IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 120mgIron: 1mg
