When I saw the menu for this month’s Kitchen Play, sponsored by Calphalon, there was one particular dish that caught my attention – the Pumpkin French Toast Casserole prepared by Buns in My Oven. I’m such a fan of breakfast foods and a pumpkin french toast just sounded fantastic! The other day, I decided to do my take on this sweet, delightful breakfast dish.
For this french toast casserole recipe, I substituted ingredients with non-dairy alternatives. Also made it a bit “healthier” by eliminating the sugary and buttery praline topping and instead, just sprinkled crushed pecans on top instead. The bread of choice I believe is called Bastone bread. It’s a torpedo shaped Italian bread with a crispy exterior covered with sesame seeds. It has a thick crispy crust and a soft, fluffy interior. Stale bread works best for making French toast, and soaking the bread for 8+ hours (or overnight) does wonders.
Ingredients: (Makes 3-4 servings)
- 6-8 slices stale bread
- 3/4 cup soy milk
- 2 eggs + 2 egg whites
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- pinch of cloves
- pecans, crushed
Directions:
- Arrange bread slices in one layer on the bottom in a casserole dish.
- Set aside remaining bread slices.
- In a medium bowl, beat together the remaining ingredients until well combined.
- Pour half of the egg mixture over the bread.
- Top with the remaining slices of bread and pour the remaining egg mixture over the top.
- Cover with foil and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Sprinkle crushed pecans on top of the bread.
- Bake for about 30 min covered and then another 10-15 min uncovered.
- Ready to serve.
Slice into separate pieces.
Serve with syrup of your choice.
Here shown with agave.
And enjoy while it lasts!
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