🍞 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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