Sweet bread makes excellent French toast because of its eggy, light and slightly chewy texture. I made this version with guava- and taro-flavored sweet bread we brought back with us from Punalu'u Bake Shop, which by being located 30 minutes South of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park in Na'alehu is known as the "Southernmost Bakery in the U.S.A." King's Hawaiian bread or rolls, readily available in all major grocers on the mainland, make a great substitution. Hawaiian coconut syrup is more difficult to come by, so I've made a recipe you can make from ingredients easily found anywhere.
Ingredients
For coconut syrup
- 1 can (13- or 14-ounce) unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 cup simple syrup (made of equal amounts of granulated white sugar and water, boiled together)
- pinch of salt
For French toast
- 1 pound loaf of Hawaiian sweet bread (or rolls), such as King's Hawaiian
- 5 large eggs
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- zest of a lemon, lime or tangerine
- butter, as needed for griddle or pan
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