baked pumpkin french toast

We were all such fans of the baked french toast I made a few weeks ago that I decided we needed to try another variety. With my homemade pumpkin puree in hand, pumpkin french toast was an obvious choice! It was as good as the first time, although it didn’t quite have enough pumpkin spice flavor for me. I think next time I will add half a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice to both the toast mixture and the streusel mixture. It was still incredibly yummy, and probably healthier as a result of the added pumpkin (hey, it has Vitamin A, right?…). So I can definitely justify making it super often. Which I will certainly be doing.

Baked Pumpkin French Toast
Two Peas and Their Pod

1 loaf French Bread
6 large eggs
2 1/2 cups milk
1 cup pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
3/4 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Streusel Topping:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into pieces

Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Tear French bread into chunks, or cut into cubes, and evenly place in the pan. In a large bowl, mix together eggs, milk, pumpkin puree, sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Pour evenly over bread. Cover pan with saran wrap and store in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.

In a separate bowl, mix together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add butter pieces and cut into the dry mixture using a fork or your hands. Combine until the mixture resembles sand with a few pea sized chunks. Cover and store mixture in the refrigerator.

When you’re ready to bake the French toast, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove French toast from refrigerator and sprinkle crumb mixture over the top. Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until the French toast is set and golden brown. Serve warm with syrup, if desired.