This ridiculously simple French rice pudding is soul food that’s equally delicious for dessert as it is for breakfast the next morning. It may also be the best cure for a broken heart, especially when served to those you love most, which is why I packed an overnight back and made the hour-long trip to my parents’ house at midnight a couple of weeks ago, and then cooked them up a steaming pot of riz au lait. 

Making riz au lait (pronounced, roughly, ree-oh-lay) is a labor of love, so diligently must it be tended to, so slowly must it be forced to absorb a great amount of milk, so frequently must it be stirred to avoid the constant potential of burning. Unless you have a proliferation of spoons and can use a new one for every taste, I don’t recommend making riz au lait if you’re sick, or cooking for someone who would be totally grossed out by double dipping. The only way to make a truly successful riz au lait is to taste constantly. You’re striving for a perfect balance, the tipping point at which point the rice has absorbed as much milk as possible but has not yet begun to lose its shape and fall into depressing mushiness. (I will say that I have a genetic disposition to making rice that clearly fits the description of “depressingly mushy,” so perhaps I exaggerate the precision it takes to make a perfectly tender yet shapely riz au lait.) You can also play around a lot with the amount of milk depending on whether you prefer a more scoopable rice pudding or one that’s more liquid. Either way, not overcooking the rice is important. 

You can add all sorts of extras to your riz au lait; I prefer to top mine with a sprinkle of cinnamon and maybe some chopped apple for crunch. Sweet and creamy on its own, it’s also delicious plain, either hot or cold (I usually eat it hot for dessert and cold for breakfast). 

Riz Au Lait

• 2 cups medium- or short-grain white rice
• about 3 quarts milk (I prefer 2% or whole for riz au lait, and the amount I use varies depending on my rice so having extra on hand isn’t a bad idea.)
• sugar to taste (I use about 1/4 cup usually)
• cinnamon, apple, or whatever you prefer as garnish

1. Pour the rice into a heavy-bottomed pot. Add enough milk to cover and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and stir, uncovered, until most of the milk has been absorbed.

2. Add another cup or so of milk. Stir over very low heat until most of milk is absorbed. Repeat until the rice is very tender. Stir in sugar to taste and serve hot or cold. 

Like a lot of my baking urges, this one came late at night and to the familiar tune of “Mmm, chocolate!” I have a bar of extra dark chocolate in my pantry, reserved specifically for such cravings. However, “Mmm, chocolate!” rarely goes away after a square, or even two, of extra dark chocolate; “Mmm, chocolate!” is too complex to be quieted by a dark chocolate bar. It usually requires something freshly baked. Pronto.

My sister’s cure for “Mmm, chocolate!” comes in the form of a 3-minute microwaveable chocolate cake in a mug. I don’t know what visionary dreamed up a chocolate cake you can make from scratch in only three minutes (in a mug! did I mention that?), but it seems too good to be true. And in my case, it is too good to be true… Because I don’t have a microwave! Who doesn’t have a microwave in this day and age? Me, and I have never been sorrier than during a particularly terrible bout of “Mmm, chocolate!”

I should have anticipated that I was going to have such an episode when, a couple of nights ago, I decided to bake something that required rising twice. I needed, you know, a little snack to tide me over. Before I knew it, a whole If You Give a Mouse a Cookie situation had unfolded and my kitchen was a mess of dirty measuring cups and lightly floured surfaces and I’d eaten not one but three chocolate muffins that I barely remembered deciding to bake. 

If you are good enough at recognizing the early warning symptoms of “Mmm, chocolate!” and can stand to wait for these little muffins to bake, they’re not at all a bad remedy. They’re full of things you’re bound to have in your pantry, which is incredibly important because you don’t have time to dash to the store for ingredients for god’s sake when you’re suffering terribly from “Mmm, chocolate!” 

As a side note, if you have a sweet tooth you may require icing. I ate mine from a bowl with a bit of cream poured on top.

Chocolate Craving Muffins (adapted from the New York Times)

• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 tablespoons cocoa
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 5 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 cup cold water

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease or line 12 muffin cups. Whisk together dry ingredients in a medium bowl.

2. Make three wells in dry mixture. Pour vanilla into one well, lemon juice into the second, and oil into the third. Sprinkle the cold water over top and mix until smooth.

3. Pour batter into muffin cups, filling them about 2/3 full for regular-sized muffins (I only filled mine half full and got more mini muffins, the better to save for chocolate cravings yet to come). Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

I escape the languid last days of summer by imagining that I’m somewhere far and away. For all of my complaining about the heat, I actually don’t mind it that much (I do live without air conditioning by choice, but shh, don’t tell or I’ll lose my whining rights!). I actually just mind the wilted, burnt flora of Ohio, dressed in a brownish green that would put even the cheeriest of people in a funk. I’m imagining that I live somewhere much more exotic, like Morocco. That’s certainly the general region my taste buds long for lately, anyway.

My parents house has become a bit like the L’Auberge Espagnole over the past few weeks as lingering French friends of my brothers overlapped with the arrival of the newest member of my household, a Turkish-German exchange student who will be living with them for the next year. On the night of her arrival, my parents picked her up from the airport while I put the finishing touches on a meal I’d started preparing the night before in my apartment. Every special dinner needs a dessert, I think (and every Frenchman needs a dessert at every meal; ask one), and these poached pears seemed perfect since I could easily make them a day ahead. The pears can be refrigerated in the poaching liquid for up to 3 days in an airtight container, but be sure to remove them from the fridge several hours before serving, to bring them back to room temperature. 

Sweet with a hint of citrus and spice, I was in end-of-summer heaven. Eve the exchange student, who claimed no appetite and barely touched her dinner, held tight to her dessert when my mother tried to clear it away.

Poached Pears with Prunes (adapted from Food & Wine)

• 3 quarts water
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 1 navel orange
• 2 3-inch cinnamon sticks
• 2 bay leaves
• 8 large Bartlett  pears
• 16 pitted prunes

1. Carefully peel the pears using a vegetable peeler. Leave the stems attached. Slice the orange, leaving its peel on.

2. In a large soup pot, bring the water to a boil with the sugar, orange, cinnamon sticks and bay leaves. Stir until the sugar is dissolved, then add the pears and prunes and cook over medium heat for about 25 minutes. Turn the pears often, very gently.

3. Use a slotted spoons to remove the pears and prunes to a serving bowl. Bring the liquid back to a boil and cook until it is reduced to about 1 quart. Strain the syrup over the pears and serve. 8 servings.

I’ve mentioned before that I have a weakness for sweets with unexpected ingredients. The idea for a basil-infused sweet cream came to me on my evening run, which I cut short to race home and act on my possibly questionable inspiration. I say questionable because I’ve never made basil-infused anything and didn’t consult a recipe. I’m still not sure what my concoction’s best presentation is, but it is tasty (if I do say so myself) and so I’m sure I’ll find many more uses for it soon.

Does anyone else have more basil than they know what to do with this summer? Maybe it’s just that I live alone, but I cannot keep up with my basil plant and just keep tearing off bunches and freezing them whole (which works pretty well for pesto late in the season) to prevent my plant from going to seed. So far I’ve restricted my uses of basil to savory dishes, which is, I’ve decided, far too limiting. I had a bit of white chocolate left over from these cookies, and voilà! Basil and white chocolate cream.

It’s a slightly frothy sweetened cream with flecks of green and a really beautiful, delicate basil flavor. I used it to cream my cold brew coffee this morning, but the basil flavor struggled to shine (though I still thought it was delicious). I couldn’t wait to share this recipe until I’ve tested it in more formats (I’m envisioning it spooned over dry, cakey desserts and possibly as part of a creamy summer cocktail). Instead, I though it would be more fun for you to share with me how you decide to put this sweet little recipe to use.

Basil and White Chocolate Cream

• 1 cup half and half
• 4 ounces high-quality white chocolate
• A small handful (about 1/4 cup) fresh basil leaves

1. In a small saucepan over low heat, slowly heat the half and half, stirring frequently. When it is steaming, add the white chocolate in small pieces and whisk constantly until melted. Remove from heat.

2. Drop the basil leaves, whole but separated from the stem, into the cream mixture and allow to steep until the mixture has cooled a bit, about 15 minutes.

3. In a food processor or blender, blend the mixture until frothy and the basil is flecked throughout. Chill and serve however you like, and by all means leave a comment below to let me know how you do!

It only took two words to make it impossible to think about almost anything but the smell of fried dough: state fair. I’ve actually never been to the state fair, which a coworker mentioned was happening this week, and I’m not sure I have any interest in going, but I certainly am in the mood to eat crispy, hot, fried treats. I narrowed down my options based on two main truths: (1) that it’s summertime and therefore there is an abundance of fresh, local produce and (2) that I do not own a deep fryer.

I’ve made zucchini fritters a couple of times and enjoyed them but remember them feeling a bit heavy and greasy. To lighten them up and keep the recipe seasonal, I picked a small handful of mint and basil leaves from my back porch. Boy, am I ever glad to have planted my little “garden” of potted herbs. Dried herbs will absolutely not have the same flavor impact in this recipe, so don’t substitute. The smokiness of the paprika contrasts nicely against the freshness of the herbs and the cooling effect of the yogurt. 

These are a breeze to make and would make a great party appetizer, but it being a Monday night and living alone, I devoured three in lieu of dinner (okay, you caught me - I ate four but ran a lap around the park for each one). Ultimately, they’re not the sort of thing I’d expect to find at a fair, but I felt my fried food craving totally satisfied. 

Herbed Zucchini Fritters and Paprika Yogurt (adapted from Simply Recipes)

• 1 medium zucchini (about 1/2 pound)
• 1 scallion
• 1 tablespoon fresh basil
• 1 tablespoon fresh mint
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• salt and pepper
• 1/3 cup light olive or vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup Greek style yogurt, such as Fago
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika

1. Coarsely grate the zucchini, and place in a paper towel-lined colander to drain for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, finely chop the scallion, basil and mint. Lightly beat the egg with a fork. 

2. In a bowl, combine zucchini, scallion, basil, mint, egg, and flour. Season with about 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a few good grinds of black pepper.

3. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Drop large spoonfuls of the batter into the hot skillet. (I made 6 large fritters - you could make a greater number of smaller fritters if you prefer.) Cook until deep golden brown on bottom and flip to brown other side. Be careful to avoid high heat and rapid cooking: You don’t want the outsides to burn while the inside stays mushy. This is a particularly hard balance to strike when you’re making larger fritters. If you doubt your abilities, keep your heat on the low end of medium and cook, flipping the fritters ever 2-3 minutes and look at the sides to judge the doneness of the middle.

4. Combine the yogurt and paprika with a fork. Serve fritters hot and fresh from the pan with yogurt for dipping. Garnish with lemon if desired.

I finally found a job! A last-minute interview last week led to my employment in my favorite bakery-café in town. (Remember that incredible French toast with banana syrup? It looks like I’ll be indulging more often!)

Job transition arrangements and a fairly last-minute trip to Chicago have left me a bit scattered, and while I was in the mood to spend my whole evening in the kitchen working on something complex and liberally spiced (I can’t get enough spicy food lately; must remedy that craving soon), I absolutely could not justify taking the time when my suitcases are still packed, two days after my return! I decided to opt for something light and simple to prepare.

While I’ve been known to complain about my general distaste for sandwiches as a format, I’ve recently been proven wrong enough times to decide that my taste has obviously changed. In fact, if we really want to trace the roots of my newfound love - actually, let’s not go too far and just say appreciation - for sandwiches, I suppose it would be the delightful marriage of the flavors of goat cheese and honey in a hot panini that first sparked my interest in sandwiches. This sandwich is nothing like those I enjoyed so much in France, but it’s a little homage, and makes for a fast but not unsophisticated lunch or weeknight meal. 

Toasted Goat Cheese and Honey Sandwich

• 1 whole grain, seedy and crusty baguette (I used sesame and sunflower seed)
• 4 ounces soft goat cheese
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 cups fresh baby spinach

For the vinaigrette:

• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper

1. To prepare a light lemon vinaigrette to dress the spinach, whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper. Toss the greens in the dressing and set aside.

2. Cut the baguette into quarters, and slice each quarter lengthwise. Place cut side down on a cookie sheet or baking dish and broil for about 2 minutes or until crust is very crispy; broil another 2 minutes cut side up until golden around the edges. Remove from heat and transfer to plates.

3. On one half of each sandwich, spread 1 ounce of the goat cheese and drizzle with 1/2 tablespoon of honey. On the other half, pile about 1/2 cup of the dressed greens. Sprinkle with a bit of coarse sea salt and serve open-faced (because it’s prettier, why else?). Makes 4 sandwiches.

I’m sorry to sound like such a complainer but I feel it would be dishonest to neglect to mention again how hot it is here. Not just hot even (temperatures well above 90ºF), but really humid and sticky. Going outside is akin to taking a steam shower and the heaviness of the air is so nauseating, it’s hard to find my appetite.

That said, a girl still needs to eat. And her hollow-legged boyfriend definitely isn’t going to skip a meal. Colin came for a visit this weekend and, since the slices are rather big, we made dinner of nothing but this bruschetta and cold beer, waiting for the sun to drop behind the roof of the building next door and eating with our fingers, tomato juice running down our chins.

As a disclaimer, I feel I should mention that this recipe includes anchovies. Trust me, Colin wasn’t too keen on the idea either and needed a little reassurance, but we both agreed, after stuffing our faces full of bruschetta, that they impart a subtle saltiness and a hint of umami (Colin’s favorite piece of culinary vocabulary) to an otherwise fresh dish. I guess what I’m saying is, don’t skip the anchovy! If, however, you don’t heed my advice, I suggest doubling the salt. 

Simple Bruschetta

• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 vine-ripened tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 small white onion
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil
• 2 anchovy fillets
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• pepper to taste
• 1 loaf crusty white bread, such as a French baguette or sourdough

1. Wash, seed and dice the tomatoes and move to a medium bowl with the lemon juice. Dice the onion and add to the tomatoes. Mince the garlic and anchovy fillets, chop the basil, and add all three to the bowl along with one tablespoon of the olive oil. Stir only to combine and season to taste with the salt and pepper. (The anchovies add a lot of salt, so don’t salt before tasting!)

2. Cut the bread into 3/4 inch slices, cutting on an angle to make the surface area of the slices as big as possible. Heat the remaining three tablespoons of oil over medium heat in a heavy skillet. Fry the bread, turning frequently, until browned to taste on both sides. Rub the top side of each slice with the remaining garlic clove and spoon the tomato mixture on top to serve.

The sweet little girl I watch loves to ask me when I’ll have babies so she can babysit them. I can empathize because I’ve been waiting for my favorite childhood sitter to reproduce for what seems like ages. She has such a nurturing, motherly disposition that she deserved only the most adorable little bundle of joy out there. Her little baby boy was born one month ago, and after finally meeting him two days ago, I can say that he seems to be just that. (Okay, actually, he was sleeping at the time, but I do get to play with him later in the story and make that judgement with more accuracy…)

Since this particularly amazing former sitter happens to be visiting my hometown this month, and seeing as I am currently only partially employed (please hire me!), I gladly offered my nanny services should the need arise. Imagine my surprise and delight when I received a voicemail asking not for childcare, but for cookies!

Oatmeal, it turns out, is particularly good for mothers who breast feed because it improves lactation. That aside, they are also mouthwateringly delicious. I don’t even like white chocolate much (too sweet for me) but was forced to call that distaste into question the minute I sunk my teeth into one of these warm, chewy and crispy cookies. A little bit of salt sprinkled on top of each cookie balances the sweetness of the white chocolate, which, by the way, I’ve discovered is less sweet and more flavorful if you invest in the good stuff. 

I delivered the cookies and finally got to hold and play with the baby (who actually was just as sweet as I proclaimed at the beginning of this post), and later received a text message follow-up. Let me just say that the words “best oatmeal cookie” were used. 

Sweet and Salty White Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies (adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1-3/4 sticks of butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2-1/2 cups old fashioned oats
• 7 ounces white chocolate (2 high-quality white chocolate bars)
• 3/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt

1. Remove the butter from the fridge and allow to soften a bit (time will vary depending on the heat of your kitchen) or remove directly before beginning, unwrap and place on a plate to microwave for 15 seconds. It doesn’t need to be very soft, and if it melts your cookies won’t hold their shape, so be careful not to overdo it. Set aside. Coarsely chop the chocolate bars and set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 350ºF and line 2 very large baking sheets with parchment paper.

3. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl (preferably the bowl of an electric mixer), beat the butter and sugars until fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add the oats and chocolate chunks and stir until just combined.

4. Roll the dough between clean hands to form balls about 1-1/2 inches in diameter (the recipe should make about 2 dozen cookies). Place evenly on the baking sheets. (Be careful if your baking sheets are not very large - I wish I had baked only 6 cookies per sheet and then done a second batch because the edges ran together a little bit. With warmer butter, that could have been disastrous.)

5. Using your fingers, press down slightly on the top of each ball until it is about 3/4 of an inch thick.

6. Bake for 13-16 minutes, or until a dark golden color.

It’s hotter than you-know-where in my little apartment! Though I’m normally keen on a perfectly over-easy egg on a piece of toast for breakfast, there is no way I’m turning on my stove in the morning, when the apartment has finally cooled (which is not to say that it is cool - maybe lukewarm is a more appropriate word?) after a night of inactivity and open windows. No, I don’t want anything to do with a hot breakfast.

What I really want - and this shocks even me - is cereal. It’s an unusual craving for me, and even when a bowl of the stuff does sound appetizing I try my best to resist because it simply doesn’t last long in my stomach and I am, inevitably, hungry again long before lunchtime. 

Plus, the sugar! Boxed cereal is packed full of the stuff. I’m already hopped up on enough strong black coffee to have any need to be shoveling sugar into my body by the heaping, milk-soaked spoonful. 

All that said, if there is one cereal whose charms I absolutely can’t resist (and one that actually satisfied my ravenous morning appetite), it’s my mother’s homemade granola. I like it best with almond milk or sprinkled over yogurt or vanilla ice cream. It tastes of my sweetest childhood memories, and plays such a central role in my family’s gastronomical genome that I can’t imagine that it won’t be passed down to generations to come. Additionally, it’s easy as pie to make (erm, much easier than pie actually) and doesn’t take much attention to detail (Mama claims to have forgotten her granola in the oven once, letting it cook all night long, and finding it perfect the next morning.)

Since the sweetness comes from honey and coconut, you can control the amount of sugar by decreasing the amount of honey or by using unsweetened coconut. Mine isn’t very sweet, and I like it that way, but I also think it would be interesting to increase the honey by half or so.

Mama’s recipe makes a lot of granola, but it’s easily halved or doubled based on the size of the oats container you use. I recommend following the measurements in this recipe and storing the finished granola in a sealed container to keep it fresh. Keep in mind that the below measurements for the nuts and coconut are those that I used, but can be increased or decreased as you wish! The coconut’s my favorite, so I could happily have increased the amount. Also, it would be super easy to add or substitute your own ingredients at the end. Let me know what tastes best to you!

Mama’s Granola

• 1 42-ounce container of old fashioned oats (not instant)
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup honey
• 1 cup very hot water
• 3 cups sweetened flaked coconut 
• 2 cups raw walnuts
• 1-1/2 cup raw, slivered  or sliced almonds
• 1-1/2 cups salted, toasted sunflower seeds

1. Preheat oven to 200ºF. With a wooden spoon, combine oats, vegetable oil and honey in a large bowl. Fill the measuring cup used for honey with the hot water and use water to empty any remaining honey into the mixture. 

2. Turn mixture into a large roasting pan or two smaller pans. Place on center rack in oven and bake for several hours until dry, turning occasionally with a spoon.3. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Meanwhile, toast the coconut for about 20 minutes (or until golden at the edges) in a 300ºF oven. Spread the coconut into a thin layer on a baking sheet and stir every 5 minutes.

4. Return oats to a large, clean bowl and add remaining ingredients. Move to a storage container (a large Mason-type jar works well) and enjoy often! 

For someone who claims she doesn’t like bananas, I can’t believe this is my second banana-centric post. I prefer to think that general distaste for bananas is a testament to how amazing these recipes truly are, because somehow they’ve broken me down, brought me metaphorically to my knees, begging for more bananas! And once again, it was with my boyfriend that I was brave enough (and thank goodness I was!) to venture into unknown banana waters, only to discover that sometimes, only sometimes, I positively love bananas.

I had just moved into my new flat in March and was risking falling into a black hole of renovation project when Colin decided to surprise me with a visit and distract me from paint, cleaning supplies, and hardware. It’s largely unfurnished state luckily drove us to go out to breakfast, when after a lengthy search on our favorite review site we landed in our new favorite bakery-café. Everything is so delectable and perfect that Colin claims he would order mustard-smeared olives and pickles (his three wont-eat’s) if they were on the menu.

If you have several hours to spare, I’ll gladly dissect every dish I’ve ever tried from this particular neighborhood gem, but since you probably don’t, suffice it to say: cinnamon challah French toast and warm banana syrup. Need I go on? Its only fault is that, until today, I had to walk about 9 blocks to get to it.

I would love to bake all of my own bread, but like the average employed person I find baking bread to be too time-consuming to do it often. I made an exception for the greater good of this French toast because the cinnamon challah makes it wonderfully airy. This recipe makes one humongous loaf of bread, so I feel like a certain portion could easily be frozen and thawed for future French toast delight. (Do I plan to exercise such self-control? Of course not!) In any case, it’s not a challenging bread recipe because all of the ingredients are basically just dumped together into a large bowl, mixed, left to rise, rolled out, rolled up, left to rest, and then baked into a 4-pound piece of heaven!

The bread can be made one or several days in advance. The French serve French toast as a dessert, not a breakfast (and I certainly condone eating this rendition in the evening as well as the morning!), and they call it pain perdu, or lost bread, meaning they soak stale bread in egg and milk to make it soft and edible again.

Cinnamon Challah French Toast (adapted from Creative Loafing)

For bread:

• 1-3/4 cups lukewarm water
• 1-1/2 tablespoons yeast
• 1-1/2 tablespoons salt
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1-1/4 cup canola oil
• 7 cups bread flour
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

For egg wash:

• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon water

Per slice of French toast:

• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons milk or half and half (for richer toast)
• 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Mix the yeast, salt, eggs, sugar, and oil with the water in a large bowl. Add the flour and mix without kneading, using a spoon or the dough hook attachment on a standing mixer.

2. Cover bowl with a damp tea towel and allow to rise in a warm place (hello, outside in summertime!) for at least two hours. At this point, dough can be refrigerated for up to a couple of days. Cold dough is easier to handle. 

3. Turn dough out of bowl onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly with your hands. Form into a loaf shape and use a rolling pin to roll out into a large rectangle. The larger the rectangle, the more cinnamon swirls you’ll have. 

4. Sprinkle the dough with the cinnamon and lightly rub with your hands until evenly distributed. Roll up the dough, starting on the widest side so the loaf is longer. Take care to roll the loaf so the loose end is on the bottom and tuck under ends. Place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. If dough has been refrigerated, allow to rise for 1 hour and 20 minutes; if not, allow to rise for 40 minutes.

5. 15 minutes before bake time, preheat the oven to 350ºF. Whisk together ingredients for egg wash and brush the top of the raw loaf with the wash.

6. Bake for 30-40 minutes depending on the width of your loaf, or until top is shiny and brown. Allow to cool. Enjoy a slice in the meantime.

7. Whisk together the ingredients for the French toast and pour into a shallow, flat-bottomed container. Soak the slices of bread for several minutes, turning once to get both sides, and cook in heavy skillet until golden brown on both sides. Move to a warm oven (200ºF) until all pieces have been cooked, then serve with warm banana syrup (recipe follows) and fresh banana slices. 

Warm Banana Syrup

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 banana, mashed

1. In a small saucepan, stir together all ingredients. Place over low heat and stir frequently with a whisk until thick and golden, about 15-20 minutes.