This is one of those recipes where a pictures says a thousand words. Cinnamon Raisin Banana French Toast Casserole with Oat Crumble is hands down mmmm mmmm GOOD.
Cinnamon Raisin Banana French Toast Casserole is the breakfast that can be eaten anytime of the day or night. I love breakfast food because really it can be eaten for dinner too. I cannot tell you how fast this was eaten at my house when I made it. I couldn’t get it out of the oven fast enough. The amazing smell it puts out while cooking is so mouthwatering, you feel like you are inside your own bakery.
The oat crumble on top is not too sweet and adds just the perfect texture almost like the crumble on a coffee cake, but it isn’t quite as sweet leaving room to be topped with a little maple syrup. Letting the casserole rest over night really gives the flavors a chance to blend together.
Assembling this Cinnamon Raisin Banana French Toast Casserole with Oat Crumble really is quick and simple to do, the hard part is waiting until the next day to cook it and taste every bit of the sweet cinnamon bread infused with naturally sweet bananas and crumbly oat topping. This would be a great dish for a Mother’s Day brunch or a kids sleep over, so make this Cinnamon Raisin Banana French Toast Casserole with Oat Crumble the best part of your day or night I promise it is kid tested and Mother approved.
- 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1/4 cup white whole-wheat flour
- 5 tbsp sugar in the raw, divided
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 3 tbsp organic unsalted butter, melted
- Olive oil cooking spray
- 12 slices whole-wheat cinnamon raisin swirl bread
- 3 small bananas, sliced
- 6 large eggs
- 3 3/4 cups non-fat milk
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- Prepare oat crumble: In a medium bowl, stir together oats, flour, 3 tbsp sugar in the raw and salt until combined. Add butter and stir until moistened. Set aside.
- Mist a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Arrange 6 slices bread in a single layer (2 rows of 3 slices each). Top with banana slices in a single layer, then top with remaining 6 slices bread in a single layer.
- In a large bowl, whisk eggs. As you whisk, slowly pour in milk until combined. Whisk in vanilla, cinnamon and remaining 2 tbsp sugar in the raw.
- Pour mixture over bread, then sprinkle evenly with oat crumble. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Bring casserole to room temperature, up to 2 hours. Remove foil and bake until bread is puffed up and egg mixture is set (a bit of liquid in center is fine as it will firm up as it cools), about 40 minutes. (NOTE: If you skipped bringing casserole to room temperature, bake another 10 to 15 minutes.) Cool on a rack for 10 minutes before serving.