“Crunchy Hawaiian French Toast”

Have I got an easy, peasy breakfast or brunch treat for your whole family. Let’s turn your kitchen into a tropical paradise this weekend. Grab your skillet, the kids and some maple syrup to cook up this tasty Crunchy Hawaiian French Toast. Made with sweet Hawaiian bread because it has pineapple baked in for a slightly sweet, tropical taste and then the bread is dipped in cinnamon infused eggs and coated with cinnamon infused panko breadcrumbs for crunch. Try softened Mascarpone cheese instead of butter on top.

French toast was always and still is a favorite breakfast food. It was quite popular for breakfast when my sister and I were kids. My sister is still crazy for breakfast foods and so is my husband. I never get tired of the many ways french toast can be prepared. Plus the use of panko breadcrumbs is endless in my book as I consider it the perfect coating for anything crunchy whereas it stays crunchy.

You will love Crunchy Hawaiian French Toast. Kids will love the crunchy texture and of course the sweet taste but worry not the sweet is not overpowering even topped with syrup. Sunday breakfast is a treat all kids look forward to but consider this recipe a treat for the whole family. Double the recipe because everyone will want seconds. Serve with fresh fruit and enjoy! Making this recipe for breakfast soon, send me your feedback. Enjoy!

Crunchy Hawaiian French Toast

Crunchy Hawaiian French Toast

3 whole eggs

1/4 cup half and half

1 t. vanilla extract

1/4 t. ground cinnamon plus 1/8 t. for sprinkling in breadcrumbs

1 T. granulated sugar

4 – 5 slices Rosen Hawaiian Bread

1 cup Panko breadcrumbs

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

Softened Mascarpone cheese or softened butter, for serving

Maple or Pancake syrup, for serving

In a pie plate, whisk together the eggs, half & half, sugar, and 1/4 t. cinnamon. Set aside.

In a separate pie plate, stir together with a fork, panko breadcrumbs, 2 T. melted butter, and 1/8 t. cinnamon to moisten. Set aside.

In a large (12-inch) non-stick skillet, heat the rest of melted butter over medium-low heat.

To prepare French toast, one by one, immerse bread in the egg mixture (turning to coat), letting excess drip off, then lay coated bread in panko crumbs. Turn them to coat, pressing gently so the crumbs stick and totally coat surface. Lay on plate while continuing to coat each bread slice until you run out of coatings. I was able to make 5 slices.

Place toast in preheated skillet with butter and let cook 4 – 5 minutes on first side, watching closely not to burn. (Should your toast brown to fast, reduce heat.) Turn toast over and let cook about 3 minutes more until browned.

Place the French toast on individual plates and serve with favorite toppings like butter and syrup.

Deliciously crunchy!

Note: Recipe can easily be doubled for larger batches.