This recipe for Sticky Figgy French Toast Bake is a breakfast take on Figgy Pudding.
If you’ve never tried Figgy Pudding, it is one of those rare treats that our New England ancestors have relied on for generations—and no wonder.
With its natural sweetness, figs were used in desserts whenever sugar, molasses and maple syrup were unavailable in the “hinterlands” of “Yankeeland.”
Note: Prep time does not including drying out bread or steeping French Toast Bake.
Ingredients
Toast
- As needed nonstick cooking spray
- 1 loaf banana bread, sliced 1-inch thick and dried (see NOTE)
- 1 cup chopped, dried and reconstituted figs*
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup apple jelly, warmed and whisked smooth
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1 teaspoon vanilla or rum extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Figgy Hard Sauce
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 1 cup cream, heavy, light, half-and-half or flavored eggnog
- 6 tablespoons butter or margarine
- 1 cup dried figs (see NOTE)
Preparation
- 1 Grease a 9x13-inch casserole dish, or similar sized baking pan, with nonstick cooking spray.
- 2 Slice bread into 1-inch thick slices and line them up in prepared pan, one slice slightly overlapping the other. Sprinkle chopped figs evenly over bread; set aside.
- 3 In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, jelly, brown sugar, molasses, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour over bread slices and gently press bread into milk mixture. Cover with film wrap and refrigerate overnight, or for 6 hours.
- 4 When ready to cook, heat oven to 350-degrees F. Unwrap French Toast and bake 40-45 minutes, or until the top has browned well and it feels firm when carefully pressed in the center. Meanwhile, make Figgy Hard Sauce.
- 5 Place brown sugar, cream, dried figs and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stirring frequently, gently boil for about 3 minutes, or until figs are softened and sauce has thickened. Remove from heat to serve with French Toast.
- 6 NOTE: Either let the bread sit in refrigerator overnight, uncovered, to dry out or leave out on counter. You will want to slice it first in order to fully dry out. You can also place the bread slices on a pan and place in a 200-degree F oven for an hour or two as well. French bread or baguette bread is a nice alternative.
- 7 * Roughly chop figs and place in a bowl. Pour enough boiling water over the figs to cover and let sit for about 15 minutes, or until they are soft. Drain well before adding to French Toast. Chopped, pitted dates or even raisins will be a good alternative as well. Cover with boiling water as mentioned.
Comments