Baked Pumpkin French Toast

You know that delicious challah we Joey made? We didn't just eat it as is (although we did manage to polish off most of the plain loaf with dinner). We turned a lot of it into overnight french toast! Joey came across this recipe, immediately sent it my way, and it made the list of recipes to be made that weekend. It was incredibly simple to make, and I'm sure most breads would work well for it. We had pumpkin butter, so we used that, and it made it really flavorful. I think even more pumpkin butter could be used. It reheats really well (Joey liked it even more the second day), and is good on its own or drizzled with syrup. I topped some of mine with more pumpkin butter.

Note - we didn't really measure how much challah we used. We cut it into rough 1-inch cubes, and then just made sure the entire 9x13 pan was covered. We chose to use the rum raisin challah, and the raisins worked really well in this dish.


Recipe: Pumpkin Baked French Toast
From Minimalist Baker
Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:
5 1/2 - 7 1/2 1-inch bread cubes (will depend on type of bread)
7 large eggs
2 cups milk (any kind - we used almond milk)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/3 cup pumpkin butter (can use more if desired, can also use pumpkin puree instead, but you will have to add sugar and spices)

Directions:
Cut any kind of bread into 1-inch cubes. A slightly crusty bread is best - anything too soft will fall apart. Put the bread cubes in a lightly greased 9x13 pan. You want to make sure the bottom of the pan is completely covered.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice and pumpkin butter until combined. Pour over the bread and push the pieces of bread down with a spoon until they are all soaked and covered with the milk mixture. Cover the pan with saran wrap or a lid, and put in the refrigerator overnight.

The next morning, uncover the pan and preheat the oven to 350 F. If you want, top with some extra spices or brown sugar. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until golden brown, and set.

Serve with maple syrup, pancake syrup, or extra pumpkin butter. Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.