Tonga Toast - the best stuffed "French Toast" ever

I had this for breakfast one morning at the Polynesian and I promise you, everyone around me was drooling! It truly is a delicious type of Polynesian "stuffed French toast."


Tonga Toast Kona Cafe, Polynesian Resort 

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 loaf of sourdough bread (8 inches long)
• 2 bananas, peeled
• 1 quart canola oil, for frying

Directions

1. Mix the sugar and cinnamon with a fork until thoroughly blended, and set aside.  
2. Slice the bread into four two-inch-thick slices.  
3. Cut each banana in half crosswise.  
4. Place a bread slice flat on the counter and tear out just enough from the middle (do not tear all the way through) to stuff half a banana into; repeat with each bread slice.
5. In a large pot or a deep fryer, heat the oil to 350 degrees; use a candy thermometer to make certain the oil does not get any hotter, or it will burn.  
6. Gently place one bread slice into the oil for 1 minute or until light brown.  Turn and fry for another minute on the other side.  
7. Remove bread from the pot and toss it in the sugar and cinnamon mixture.  
8. Repeat for each piece.  

Serves 4.