The stuffed French toast at Sabrina’s Café (delicious bricks of challah, cream cheese, fruit, and maple syrup *lakes*) is a must-try for any Philadelphia native or visitor. French toast made with this challah is hefty, golden, and delicious (i.e., not-at-all soggy). The cream cheese filling is layered thickly and flavored with bananas, cinnamon, and cream cheese.
After a particularly trying all-nighter and exam, I went to Sabrina’s for the first time the day afterward. This stuffed French toast was the greatest discovery of my entire life. This french toast will put you back on your feet if you feel down in the dumps, overwhelmed, or exhausted.
Naturally, I set out to replicate their success, and this is the result of two and a half years of sleepless nights and random brainstorming sessions about french toast. Without further ado, the replica stuffed french toast from Sabrina’s Café!
Ingredients:
- 8 oz. of cream cheese (225g)
- 1 tbsp. of granulated sugar
- 2 pcs. of ripe bananas
- 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon (divided)
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup of half and half (120 ml)
- 1/2 cup of milk (120 ml)
- 1 loaf of challah bread
- 2 tbsp. of butter
- Maple syrup
- Powdered sugar
Instructions:
- To begin, whip up some filling. In a mixing bowl with the paddle attachment, cream cheese and granulated sugar should be beaten until the mixture is pale and fluffy (about 5 minutes). After whipping the cream cheese until light and airy, fold the slices of one and a half bananas. You should save the other half of the banana for later. Add 1/4 tsp. of cinnamon, if using.
- Then, prepare the eggs. Whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, milk, and another 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon on a pie plate. You can get four 1 1/2 thick slices by cutting the challah in half lengthwise. Put the tails aside for something you want.
- Cut the challah horizontally and spread each half with half the cream cheese mixture. Finish with the remaining challah slices to make two sandwiches. They are massive, and now the dieters among you are making horrified faces and closing the tab.
- The first challah sandwich needs to be toasted into the egg mixture quickly and thoroughly. However, keep it from sitting around for too long. To avoid having our challah completely drenched in liquid, please.
- Prepare a skillet made of cast iron or nonstick material by heating it over medium heat. Put the first sandwich in the pan carefully and brush it with the melted butter. Make sure the heat is medium-high and brown the french toast on all sides (including the edges). Because you want the challah to be warmed through, you want to take your time with the cooking process. The total time required for this operation is roughly 10 minutes. Use the same method as the second sandwich.
- Divide each stuffed french toast in half (the recipe serves four).
- Finish with a drizzle of maple syrup, a sprinkle of powdered sugar, and the sliced banana you set aside earlier.