Description
Bring autumn flavour to your breakfast table with Pumpkin French Toast — golden, caramelized, and perfectly spiced. Easy to make ahead for effortless brunch entertaining.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 12 slices thick-cut bread (multigrain, brioche or challah)
- 1/2 cup canned pumpkin purée
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup 15% milk fat cream or half-and-half
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar - 1 for the dredge, 2 for the brûlée
- 1/2 cup butter (plus more for cooking)
- 1 cup maple syrup
Instructions
- Make your dredge: Whisk cream, pumpkin, eggs, spices and 1 tablespoon of brown sugar in a large bowl or flat casserole dish until smooth.
- Soak your bread: Layer sliced bread in dredge so that each slice is well covered and rest, a minimum of 30 minutes, or overnight in the fridge for more flavour.
- Heat. Cook. Coat a large, flat pan well with butter, over medium heat. Add soaked bread to the pan, slice by slice, allowing room between. Move pan, NOT product, to brown and cook evenly. Be sure to control your heat. Watch for bubbles to form; toward the centre of your french toast slice. This indicates your pumpkin dredge is cooking through. Time to flip.
- Brûlée. Hold. Once you’ve flipped your french toast coat the cooked side well with brown sugar, working quickly so as not to burn the french toast. Add chunks of butter to the pan. As the butter melts, turn the sugared toast, sugar side down into the butter and cook until bubbly and sticky. Either serve immediately OR move to waiting baking rack over a sheet pan, sticky side UP. Hold until needed. Re-heat in a 300*F (150*C) oven for 10 to 15 minutes until piping hot.
- Brown Butter Maple Syrup: While cooking your Pumpkin French toast in batches; heat butter in a small pan over medium high heat. Allow to bubble and brown until deep, and rich coloured – about ten minutes. Remove from heat. Skim foam with a wet spoon and discard. Add maple syrup and whisk. Serve immediately, or, hold until needed, reheat and serve warm.
Notes
Serving suggestions: swap out regular maple syrup, or serve with honey, jams or jellies. You can never go wrong with fruit. Pumpkin pairs well with berries, oranges or sauteed pears. Or keep it super simple and dust with icing sugar and a big scoop of whipped cream, or vanilla ice cream. (Because, we’re NOT counting calories.)
- Prep Time: 45 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Category: Breakfast, Brunch
- Method: Sautee
- Cuisine: North American
