Description
Comfort meets elegance in this delightful Pumpkin French Toast Casserole, blending warm autumn spices with creamy custard. Sweet pumpkin layers and crisp bread edges create a luxurious breakfast that will charm weekend brunch guests and family alike.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 1 15-18 ounces (425–510 grams) loaf of stale white bread, such as challah, French bread, or Brioche
- 5 large eggs
- 1 cup (240 milliliters) pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling
- 1 1/2 cups (360 milliliters) milk
Sweeteners and Spices:
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) white sugar
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice, or make your own see recipe notes
Flavor Enhancers:
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prepare a spacious 9×13 inch glass baking dish with a light coating of grease to prevent sticking.
- Transform the bread into rustic chunks by either slicing or tearing into irregular pieces, then distribute evenly across the greased pan.
- Craft a luxurious pumpkin custard by whisking together milk, pumpkin puree, eggs, sugar, pumpkin spice, and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl until smooth and fully incorporated.
- Gently cascade the aromatic pumpkin mixture over the bread, carefully ensuring each piece becomes thoroughly saturated and coated.
- Create a decadent streusel topping by combining flour, brown sugar, white sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and chopped pecans in a separate bowl.
- Introduce melted butter to the dry streusel ingredients, mixing until the texture becomes crumbly and cohesive.
- Heat the oven to 350F (180C), positioning a rack in the center of the oven.
- Generously scatter the streusel mixture across the top of the prepared casserole, creating an even, textured layer.
- Shield the casserole with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes to allow the flavors to meld and the base to set.
- Remove the foil and continue baking for an additional 15-20 minutes until the top turns golden and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- For overnight preparation, cover the casserole and streusel separately with plastic wrap, refrigerating until ready to bake.
- When prepared to serve, remove from refrigerator, uncover, and bake following the same temperature and timing instructions.
- Allow the casserole to rest for 10 minutes before serving to help it set and make cutting easier.
Notes
- Let bread slightly stale overnight for better absorption of pumpkin mixture, creating a more custardy texture.
- Substitute dairy milk with almond, oat, or coconut milk for a vegan or lactose-free version.
- Toast pecans briefly before chopping to enhance their nutty flavor and add extra crunch to the streusel topping.
- Experiment with different bread types like challah or brioche for a richer, more decadent breakfast casserole.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 55-60 minutes
- Category: Breakfast, Snacks, Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 278
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 250 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 41 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 8 g
- Cholesterol: 150 mg