Pumpkin French Toast Casserole
Prepping Pumpkin French Toast Casserole First, grab a large 3-quart capacity baking pan – such as a 9×13 inch (23×33 cm) glass pan and lightly grease it. I recommend using glass for this recipe because I find that the French toast is less likely to stick to the pan. Then we chop up 1 large loaf of bread into little squares and place in the baking pan. Any kind of fluffy, thick-cut white bread works well here – such as French bread, Hawaiian loaf, or brioche bread. Whisk together the French toast batter – milk, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spices, vanilla extract and a little sugar. Pour the batter over the cubes of bread, and gently stir so that the bread is coated. Then mix together the ingredients for the topping: brown sugar, white sugar, flour, spices, chopped pecans (optional) and melted butter. Baking the Next Morning Simply cover the pan with aluminum foil, and pop it in the fridge overnight. Then cover the bowl of streusel topping with plastic wrap and place in the fridge. When you’re ready to bake – you’ll preheat the oven and sprinkle the streusel topping over top. Then bake the casserole covered with foil for about 40 minutes, and then remove the foil and continue baking for about 20 minutes.
Baking Immediately Or if you’d like to bake it immediately, sprinkle the streusel on top of the casserole. Then simply pop it in the preheated oven at 350F (180C), and bake covered for 40 minutes, then uncovered for 15-20 minutes. I actually recommend preparing the casserole the night because I find that the bread can soak up more of the French toast batter and it becomes more delicious. Tips for Making This If your bread is stale – that’s actually better because it can absorb more French toast batter without getting soggy. Make sure to use pure pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling. For a lactose-free version – you can use lactose-free milk or dairy-free milk. If you’d like to skip the streusel topping feel free. However, I recommend adding an extra 3 tablespoons of sugar to the French toast batter if that’s the case. If you like the streusel topping to be extra crunchy, only add it on top of the casserole right before baking. Don’t forget to bake the casserole covered with aluminum foil for the first 40 or so minutes – otherwise, the top can burn. What If I Don’t Have Stale Bread? You can easily “dry out” your bread in the oven. Simply preheat the oven to 300F (150C). Place slices of bread on a baking sheet, and bake for about 5-10 minutes.
Ingredients French Toast Casserole 1 15-18 oz loaf of stale white bread* such as challah, French bread, or Brioche 1 1/2 cups milk 1 cup pure pumpkin not pumpkin pie filling 5 large eggs 1/4 cup white sugar 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice or make your own – see recipe notes 2 teaspoons vanilla extract Streusel Topping 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup brown sugar 2 tablespoons white sugar 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice 1/3 cup chopped pecans 1/3 cup unsalted butter melted
Recipe found at: https://www.justsotasty.com/pumpkin-french-toast-casserole/
