Tonga Toast French Toast Casserole

Stop what you’re doing and save this recipe now! My Tonga Toast french toast casserole, inspired by the fan-favorite Tonga Toast from the Polynesian Resort at Walt Disney World, is filled with everything you love about the original dish, turned into an easy at-home version. Sourdough bread and banana slices are soaked in a rich custard and topped with cinnamon sugar, then baked to perfection and served with a rich strawberry sauce. Great for holidays and special occasions, this casserole is easy to make and can be made the day before, too. New family fave!

What Makes This Recipe So Good

• This incredible breakfast casserole is my own little homemade take on a classic dish from Walt Disney World’s Kona Café restaurant and Captain Cook’s quick service, tucked away inside the iconic Polynesian Village Resort. If you’ve never had the pleasure of tasting the OG, allow me to introduce you. Tonga Toast consists of a thick slice of sourdough bread, stuffed with bananas and covered in cinnamon sugar. From there, it’s deep fried until golden and toasty, then topped with a rich, vibrant strawberry compote. It’s a fan favorite for obvious reasons.
• This casserole version has all the important components that make Tonga Toast the amazing, indulgent breakfast dish it is. We just deconstructed it for ease, and opted for baked instead of deep fried. It’s perfect for holiday mornings like Christmas or Mother’s Day (especially if you surprise mom with Tonga Toast casserole and a carafe of POG juice mimosas!) and you can prep it the night before then bake it in the morning!
• For a full breakfast spread that still feels like you’re on vacation, be sure to prepare your favorite protein and a pitcher of POG juice (if the mimosas above aren’t your thing). At the Polynesian Village Resort, your Tonga Toast is served with your choice of ham, bacon, or sausage – no fancy sides required.

Chef’s Tips

• Making Tonga Toast casserole ahead of time is super easy, and my method-of-choice for holiday morning breakfast, for sure. Since you need to refrigerate the prepared casserole at least 2 hours, it’s like this recipe gifts you the perfect “stop here and resume later” opportunity. If you’re going to refrigerate the dish overnight, make sure you wrap it very well so it doesn’t dry out or pick up any other scents from your fridge. You can make the strawberry sauce ahead of time, too, and refrigerate it until it’s needed, but keep in mind that it will thicken and firm up when it’s cold. In that case, you’d need to reheat it, so you may be better off making it fresh to begin with.
• Be sure to let the chilled, unbaked casserole sit out at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before baking it. That’ll help everything bake evenly, so you’re sure to have perfectly warm and toasty Tonga Toast all the way through.

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Recipe By: Cheryl Malik

Tonga Toast French Toast Casserole

Prep 20 minutes minutes

Cook 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Chill 2 hours hours

Total 3 hours hours 35 minutes minutes

An at-home version of Disney World's beloved Tonga Toast, with sourdough bread, banana slices, a cinnamon sugar topping, and rich strawberry sauce. Perfect for special occasions and easy to prep ahead of time for day-of baking.

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12 servings

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Equipment

• Cutting board
• serrated bread knife
• 9×13 baking dish
• neutral cooking spray
• medium mixing bowl
• whisk
• Aluminum Foil
• refrigerator
• Oven
• Small bowl
• Spoon
• medium saucepan
• Silicone spatula
• standard blender

Ingredients

For the Tonga Toast Casserole

• ▢ 1 16-ounce loaf sourdough bread
• ▢ 3 tablespoons butter cut into small cubes
• ▢ 4 medium bananas sliced into discs
• ▢ 8 large eggs at room temperature
• ▢ 2 cups milk whole or 2%
• ▢ ½ cup heavy whipping cream
• ▢ ½ cup granulated white sugar
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• ▢ 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the Cinnamon Sugar Topping

• ▢ ⅔ cup granulated white sugar
• ▢ 2 teaspoons cinnamon

For the Strawberry Sauce

• ▢ 1 pound frozen strawberries defrosted
• ▢ 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• ▢ 2 tablespoons granulated white sugar

Serving Suggestions (All Optional)

• ▢ sliced fresh strawberries
• ▢ maple syrup

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Instructions

 

To Prepare the Casserole

• Place 1 16-ounce loaf sourdough bread of sourdough bread on cutting board. Slice loaf into 1-inch thick bread slices.
• Once entire loaf is sliced, stack 3 to 4 bread slices on top of each other. Slice stack of bread in half. Rotate stack 90°, then slice stack into 1-inch wide strips. Repeat until all sourdough has been sliced into strips.
• Spray baking dish lightly with cooking spray, making sure to cover bottom, sides, and inner corners of dish.
• Scatter 3 tablespoons butter (cubed) evenly across bottom of baking dish. Place strips of bread in dish, arranging bread in rows on top of butter, with strips of bread slightly overlapping.
• Slide slices of 4 medium bananas between strips of bread, distributing banana slices evenly throughout dish.
• Crack 8 large eggs directly into medium mixing bowl and whisk eggs vigorously until fully combined. Mixture should be pale in color with no streaks of egg remaining.
• Add 2 cups milk, ½ cup heavy whipping cream, ½ cup granulated white sugar, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, and 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract to bowl with eggs. Whisk vigorously until ingredients are fully incorporated.
• Pour custard mixture into baking dish, covering sourdough completely and evenly. Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and place dish in refrigerator. Chill casserole at least 2 hours, and no more than 12 hours.

To Bake the Casserole

• Remove baking dish from refrigerator and remove foil. Set dish aside. Let casserole rest at room temperature 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
• After 20 minutes, add ⅔ cup granulated white sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon to small mixing bowl. Mix ingredients together until well blended. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over top of casserole.
• Cover baking dish with fresh foil and place dish in preheated oven. Bake casserole 30 minutes.
• After 30 minutes, carefully remove foil and discard. Return baking dish to oven and continue baking 15 to 20 minutes, or until custard is set and toast is golden and puffy.

To Make the Strawberry Sauce

• While casserole bakes uncovered, add 1 pound frozen strawberries, 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons granulated white sugar to medium saucepan. Place saucepan on stovetop over medium heat.
• Simmer strawberry mixture over medium heat 10 minutes, or until strawberries are very soft and sauce has thickened.
• When strawberry mixture is ready, transfer mixture to blender, working in batches as needed. Let cool in blender 2 to 3 minutes, then carefully secure lid on blender. Purée mixture in blender until sauce is very smooth.

To Serve the Tonga Toast Casserole

• When custard is set and toast is golden and puffy, carefully remove casserole from oven. Set aside to rest 3 to 5 minutes.
• Top casserole with prepared strawberry sauce and serve warm with sliced fresh strawberries and maple syrup if desired.
  

• Leftovers: Refrigerate any leftover casserole in an airtight container up to 4 days. Reheat on a low temp in the oven or microwave.

Click for Nutrition Info

Approximate Information for One Serving

Serving Size: 1servingCalories: 366calProtein: 11gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 148mgSodium: 317mgPotassium: 364mgTotal Carbs: 56gFiber: 3gSugar: 32gNet Carbs: 53gVitamin A: 510IUVitamin C: 26mgCalcium: 108mgIron: 2mg

Nutrition Disclaimers

Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

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