Pumpkin French Toast: A Perfect Autumn Delight
This unique, uber-tasty pumpkin French toast recipe is the best way to celebrate fall. Fuse with sweet, real pumpkin flavors and aromatic cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla. The best part is the delicious crunchy golden-brown texture that melts in your mouth. Doesn’t that sound delicious?
And don’t forget your delicious toppings! From crispy maple syrup bacon to whipped cream and chocolate chips – there’s a topping that everybody will enjoy!
Give these fall pumpkin French toast slices a try, and let me know what you think in the comments below! And if you love this pumpkin version, make sure to check out my Pumpkin Waffles recipe, too.
Choosing The Ideal Bread
Selecting the right bread is crucial for creating the ultimate pumpkin French toast. You want something to soak up the seasoned egg mixture to turn the bread into a crispy, crunchy, golden-brown slice!
My top pick? Thick slices of good ol’ classic white bread. I know, I know – boring. While seemingly mundane, white bread is easy to find and very affordable. It is the ideal canvas that allows the flavors of the accompaniments and toppings to shine through. In today’s case, it’s the pumpkin flavor.
Additionally, many people opt for enriched breads like challah or brioche. These fantastic choices not only add a slight sweetness to your flavor profile, but they can be more expensive.
Avoid fresh bread and French bread (baguette) if you want to make the best pumpkin French toast recipe. These types of bread tend to be denser and less absorbent. Similarly, sourdough and ciabatta are not ideal candidates, either.
Interestingly, stale bread always absorbs liquids a lot easier than fresh slices of bread. Day-old bread will work perfectly fine.
What If You Don’t Have Stale Bread?
This may seem a little counter-intuitive, but if you don’t have stale bread, it’s best to MAKE the bread you have a little stale.
Leave slices out on the counter for 30 minutes to an hour. This method will dry out the bread enough to help it absorb the pumpkin French toast batter.
If time is an issue, use fresh slices of bread. They will still absorb some of the French toast batter, just not as well.
Pumpkin Puree vs Pumpkin Pie Filling
While most pumpkin recipes allow you to use either pumpkin puree or pumpkin pie filling, for this recipe, pumpkin puree reigns supreme!
Why?
Pie filling is almost always sweetened and comes seasoned with fall flavors like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, etc. This is not what you want when you make pumpkin French toast.
Ideally, you want a blank canvas to adjust the flavors to your preferences. As you might have guessed by now, Pumpkin puree, being unsweetened and unseasoned, allows you to tailor the flavor to your palate.
Ingredients You Need For My Pumpkin French Toast Recipe
- Pumpkin pie spice
- Pumpkin spice
- Brown sugar
- Powdered sugar
- French bread
- Almond milk
- Unsalted butter
- Butter
- Milk
- Eggs
- Maple syrup
- Vanilla extract
Variations And Toppings: Elevate Your Pumpkin French Toast
For my pumpkin French toast recipe, I only used vanilla extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg as flavorings.
However, if you want to kick things up a notch, add homemade pumpkin pie spice. It contains ground ginger, cloves, and allspice. For a natural sweetness, consider blending in some pureed banana.
For the kids, you can add some chocolate sprinkles. The chocolate sprinkles melt, adding a delicious gooey flavor to the pumpkin French toast.
Classic toppings you can try include maple syrup, honey, or golden syrup. You can top it off with light brown sugar-cinnamon sprinkles, sliced bananas, whipped cream, and chopped nuts.
For a savory twist, I love adding crispy bacon or fresh prosciutto slices. The savory meats create a delightful contrast with the sweet pumpkin and spices.
Keeping Pumpkin French Toast Warm
For years, this has been a dilemma: how do you keep your golden brown and uber-crispy pumpkin French toast slices warm without compromising their texture?
To start, preheat your oven to 250⁰F (120⁰C). Then, place the cooked French toast slices on a lined baking tray and put it in the oven to keep warm until you are ready to serve.
This temperature isn’t too high so that the French toast slices dry out, but also not too low to cause them to lose their crispness. You can experiment slightly with YOUR oven.
Storing Leftover Pumpkin French Toast
To store any leftover French toast, place it in an airtight container inside the fridge. It’s best to use the slices the next day, or they will become way too soggy and stale.
Furthermore, you must keep in mind that you must re-crisp your leftover Pumpkin French toast slices before serving them. This is done by brushing each pumpkin French toast slice with softened butter. You can opt to re-dip the slice in some beaten eggs and milk.
Crisp the slices over a preheated griddle (or electric griddle) on medium heat for a minute. This method ensures the toast remains crispy without drying out. Serve your revived pumpkin French toast immediately with your favorite toppings or sides.
FAQs
There are many potential causes for soggy French toast. First, use medium heat, which will prevent the egg from undercooking or overcooking. Also, make sure that you only dip bread slices until they are covered and not oversoaked.
I have a unique method that works well for me. First, you can make your pumpkin French toast slices as per my recipe instructions.
In addition, remove the slices from the pan when the French toast is a minute away from being perfectly cooked. Slice the bread into sticks and add them back into the preheated pan. Continue cooking the French toast sticks until they are ready.
Pumpkin French Toast
Equipment
- large mixing bowl
- non-stick skillet or griddle
Ingredients
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- 4 large eggs lightly beaten
- ⅔ cup milk whole or your preference
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 12 slices white bread thick-cut
- Cooking spray or butter for the pan
- Maple syrup for serving
- whipped cream for serving
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, beaten eggs, milk, vanilla extract, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg until well combined.
- Next, set a non-stick skillet or griddle over medium heat. Lightly grease with cooking spray or a small amount of butter to prevent sticking.
- Then dip each slice of bread into the pumpkin mixture, ensuring both sides are fully coated.
- Place the coated bread slices on the hot skillet. Cook for 2-4 minutes on each side, or until golden brown and cooked through. Adjust the heat as needed to avoid burning.
- Repeat the process with the remaining slices of bread. Serve the French toast hot, topped with a drizzle of maple syrup and a dollop of whipped cream.