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Sense & Edibility's PBJ Stuffed French Toast

PB&J Stuffed French Toast

Course: Mornings
Cuisine: North American
Keyword: peanut butter and jelly, strawberry
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Author: Marta Rivera
This dish can be made a night ahead for easy prep in the morning!
Print Recipe

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons melted butter
  • 1 16 oz day old loaf brioche, challah, or italian bread
  • 1 28 oz jar crunchy peanut butter (or other nut butter)

French Toast Custard

  • 5 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • pinch kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar separated
  • 1 1/2 cups half and half

Strawberry "Jelly" Topping

  • 1 pound fresh or frozen* strawberries, hulled and sliced separated *see note
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons water
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon orange zest

Garnish

  • 1/2 cup unsalted peanuts toasted and chopped
  • sliced bananas optional
  • maple syrup optional
  • powdered sugar optional

Instructions

  • Lightly grease a 9"x13" casserole with the melted butter. If you are baking this the same day, preheat your oven to 350°F.

Slice and Stuff the Bread

  • Using a serrated bread knife, slice the bread loaf into 6 equal slices, each approx. 2" thick. 
  • Make another cut in the middle of each slice, about 3/4" deep- creating a pocket for the peanut butter. 
  • Using a 1 1/2-2 oz portion scoop fill the pockets with 2 scoops of the peanut butter (you may also use a 1/4 measuring cup).  
  • Arrange the stuffed bread slices in the casserole dish, and set aside while you prepare the custard.

Make the French toast custard.

  • Whisk together the eggs, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, kosher salt, and a 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl. 
  • Stir until the eggs are beaten and the mixture is smooth.
  • Slowly, add the half and half and stir it all together until smooth.
  • Pour the custard over the bread you have in the casserole dish. 
  • At this point you can cover it with aluminum foil and refrigerate it anywhere from 8, to 10, hours. If you want to make it now, allow the bread to soak up the custard for at least 30 minutes.
  • Place the dish into an oven and bake, covered, for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, carefully remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Prepare the Strawberry "Jelly"

  • Set aside a quarter of the sliced strawberries for stirring into the finished jelly.
  • Stir the cornstarch and cold water together in a small mixing bowl until no lumps remain. Set this aside.
  • In a 2 qt sauce pan over medium heat, combine the larger quantity of strawberries, water, the remaining sugar, and orange zest and bring this mixture to a boil. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the berries start breaking up.
  • Once the berries have cooked for 5 minutes, use an immersion blender to puree the strawberries until they're smooth.
  • Strain the berries through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds, and rinse the pot of any seeds. 
  • Return the strained berries to the clean pot and drizzle the cornstarch slurry into the berries, whisking constantly. 
  • Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, whisking while it heats. The berry mixture will begin to thicken after 2, or 3, minutes. When the bubbles  resemble lava as they break the surface of the jelly, the jelly is done. 
  • Remove the pot from the stove and fold in the reserved strawberries. 
  • Transfer the jelly to a serving bowl, then set aside for topping the baked french toast later.

Spoon and Serve

  • Once the french toast has finished baking, remove the pan from the oven and allow it to cool for 5 to 10 minutes.
  • Spoon the strawberry jelly over the top of the french toast, or serve the jelly on the side. 
  • Garnish with additional chopped peanuts, sliced bananas, maple syrup, or powdered sugar. 
  • This dish is best served shortly after baking. 

Notes

  • If you're using frozen berries, thaw under refrigeration prior to using. Save any juice from the thawed berries to use in making the jelly.
  • When using the "next day" option, make sure that you first allow the dish to warm up a little on the counter (prior to putting your dish into the hot oven). The dish may explode if you place it into a very hot oven while it's still cold.