Overnight Baked Pumpkin French Toast | Breakfast Casserole Recipes (2024)

5 from 1 vote

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This overnight french toast recipe is brought to you in partnership with my friends at Udi’s Gluten Free. As always opinions are 100 percent my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make this site and all my pumpkin casserole cravings possible!

Overnight Baked Pumpkin French Toast | Breakfast Casserole Recipes (1)I’ve talked before about the distinct, wholly cringe-worthy sensation of looking back over your old work.

AsIra Glass mused: “For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you.”

I’ve thought lovingly of this remark whenever I flip through my first book,In the Small Kitchen.It’s not that I’m not proud of the end product—I am! Rather, it feels like a relic from a different phase of life, when I was 23 and making a trough of homemade mac and cheese felt healthy.

Almost a decade later, my life looks a lot different. My kitchen is no longer small (hallelujah). There’s a ring on my finger, which makes reading some of the tales in the Dating and Food chapter extra cringy. And most notably, my health and diet mean that I can no longer eat 75 percent of the recipes I used to in my early twenties.

Overnight Baked Pumpkin French Toast | Breakfast Casserole Recipes (2)Overnight Baked Pumpkin French Toast | Breakfast Casserole Recipes (3)Overnight Baked Pumpkin French Toast | Breakfast Casserole Recipes (4)

If you’ve followed my story or read The Wellness Project book, then you know the biggest irony of my Hashi recovery is that I was told to go gluten-free two weeks before this cookbook came out. So even as I was promoting the recipes, I couldn’t so much as lick the spatula when I made them.

Still, over the last 7 years, I’ve found myself cracking open the spine, reminiscing about some of my favorite dishes in there, and figuring out how to make versions of them that better fit my current healthy hedonism standards. There was this riff on onion dip, a lentil version of the vegetarian chili, and this updated take on my mom’s detox soup (which was maybe the healthiest recipe in there in the first place).

This week, I took on the slightly more daunting challenge of creating a gluten-free, dairy-free take on the baked French toast recipe in the book, also known as the best French toast casserole I’ve ever eaten.

Overnight Baked Pumpkin French Toast | Breakfast Casserole Recipes (5)Overnight Baked Pumpkin French Toast | Breakfast Casserole Recipes (6)

Since bread is the main ingredient, and since I used to start with something exceptionally decadent like challah or brioche, this was a tall order. But I’ve long fallen back on my friends at Udi’s Gluten Free to make all my toast visions of grandeur a reality.

Their Gluten-Free Delicious Multigrain loaf is what sandwich dreams are made of. It’s soft, slightly nutty without the grit, and packed with more fiber than the average white. I thought it would be the perfect substitute for this pumpkin French toast bake.

Overnight Baked Pumpkin French Toast | Breakfast Casserole Recipes (7)Overnight Baked Pumpkin French Toast | Breakfast Casserole Recipes (8)

The beauty of the overnight French toast technique is that it’s completely fuss-free for serving a crowd. But you can also easily bake off the whole casserole after an hour of soaking the bread in the custard and still get a delicious result. The leftovers reheat well throughout the week, and even though the richness of the pumpkin custard makes it feel like more bread pudding than French toast, I promise that with only 1/4 cup of maple syrup in the whole thing and lots of eggs for protein, you could do worse.

The streusel topping might feel a little extra, but I promise it couldn’t be easier. The oats and almond meal add even more protein and fiber to the mix, and the spices add that pumpkin pie scent, but you could also omit the crumble and still have a fabulous breakfast.Overnight Baked Pumpkin French Toast | Breakfast Casserole Recipes (9)

Read on for the recipe for this insane fall overnight French toast casserole meets pumpkin pie. If you’ve tasted the old version from my book, I think you’ll agree that this one holds up!

With health and hedonism,

Phoebe

Overnight Baked Pumpkin French Toast | Breakfast Casserole Recipes (10)

Baked Pumpkin Pie French Toast with Garam Masala Streusel

Overnight Baked Pumpkin French Toast | Breakfast Casserole Recipes (11)

5 from 1 vote

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This make ahead pumpkin French toast casserole is completely easy and stress-free thanks to the overnight technique. Simply soak the bread in the pumpkin custard and then bake it when you’re ready. Feel free to omit the topping if you want to simplify further, but I think it adds a nice bit of crunch and fiber to the recipe.

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Phoebe Lapine

Ingredients

For the topping:

Instructions

  • Make the custard: in a large bowl, whisk together the almond milk, coconut milk, eggs, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, coconut oil or ghee, vanilla, and sea salt until smooth.

  • Grease a 9x13 casserole dish with coconut oil or ghee. Roughly tear apart the Udi’s Gluten Free Delicious Multigrain Sandwich Bread into 2-inch pieces and arrange in the pan in an even-ish layer. Pour the custard over the bread, using your hands or a spatula to press down any rogue pieces so they are all more or less submerged. Allow the bread to rest at room temperature for at least an hour so it absorbs the custard, or cover and place in the fridge to sit overnight.

  • When ready to bake the pumpkin French toast, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

  • Transfer the casserole dish to the middle of the oven and bake for 20 minutes.

  • Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl, combine the ingredients for the topping: with a spoon mix together the coconut oil, almond flour, oats, maple syrup, cinnamon, garam masala, and ginger. Place the bowl in the refrigerator until the bread is ready.

  • Remove the French toast casserole from the oven and using your fingers to separate the mixture into crumbles, top with chunks of the topping. Return to the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the French toast is puffed like a soufflé and nicely browned on top. Allow the pumpkin French toast to rest in the pan for at least 10 minutes before cutting into it. Then serve topped with additional maple syrup, if needed.

Overnight Baked Pumpkin French Toast | Breakfast Casserole Recipes (12)If you make this, tag @phoebelapine and #feedmephoebe - I'd love to see it!

This post is brought to you in partnership with my friends at Udi’s Gluten Free. As always opinions are 100 percent my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make this site and all my pumpkin French toast cravings possible!

Overnight Baked Pumpkin French Toast | Breakfast Casserole Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is one common mistake when preparing French toast? ›

If the pan isn't hot enough when you put your first slice in, the custard spreads out, forming a "foot" on the bottom of the French toast. When the pan is hot enough, the batter won't have time to seep; the custard will start cooking as soon as it hits the pan. Give the pan a light coating of neutral oil and butter.

How do you keep French toast casserole from getting soggy? ›

It could be because of the bread you used. If the bread you start with is too soft (such as white sandwich bread), it won't absorb all of the wonderful custard that it should, and it might end up soggy. If you find yourself with a soggy casserole, for whatever reason, try baking it a bit longer until it firms up some.

What is French toast casserole made of? ›

French Toast Casserole Recipe Ingredients
  1. Bread – The quality counts! ...
  2. Eggs – A signature French toast ingredient! ...
  3. Milk – For moisture. ...
  4. Brown sugar – You'll whisk some into the custard mixture and sprinkle more on top of the casserole.
  5. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla extract – For warm, cozy depth of flavor.

What is the secret to good French toast? ›

The secret ingredient in this fluffy French toast recipe: all-purpose flour! Flour binds the liquids together, which creates a more traditional “batter” and helps prevent soggy results. This extra ingredient ensures the French toast is crispy on the outside, but soft and fluffy on the inside.

Why is my overnight French toast soggy? ›

There are a few potential reasons why your overnight French toast may be soggy. One possible culprit is that you did not use dense enough bread, which allowed the custard mixture to soak in too much.

Should I leave bread out overnight for French toast? ›

Ideally, the bread should be slightly stale. A drier bread will soak up all the custard. Bread can be left out with the wrapper open the day before cooking. If you find yourself in a pinch, dry your bread slices in a 275°F oven for 10 minutes before soaking them in the custard.

Should you soak French toast overnight? ›

Ideally it's best if you can soak the bread in the french toast batter overnight however, if this cannot be done I suggest leaving it soak for a minimum of 30 minutes to 1 hour. As we want that custard like middle, cut very thick slices of bread.

What is the most common fault when making French toast? ›

1. Not choosing the right bread. The heart and soul of French toast really is the bread — use something sub-par and the final result is going to be sub-par. The best bread is spongy and sturdy so that it will be able to soak up the custard without completely falling apart.

How do I know if my French toast is done? ›

"You know when your French toast is done when the center is set and doesn't have a runny consistency once cut," Oliveira says. If you're cooking a thinner French toast or omitted eggs from your soaking liquid, a quick pan-fry will do the trick, with 3 to 6 minutes on each side.

What happens if you soak French toast too long? ›

The first is using fresh bread, which soaks up too much of the egg mixture and doesn't cook through, remaining eggy and soggy in the middle. Leaving the bread in the egg mixture for too long is another route to soggy French toast.

What does the binder of a casserole do? ›

The binder, a liquid that holds the other ingredients together. – Fat-free milk, broth, fruit juice, soup, eggs, or a thickened Béchamel/White sauce.

What is the difference between a casserole and a French oven? ›

A French Oven is a more modern version of the Dutch Oven made in France from enamelled cast iron. A Casserole dish is a shallower dish, designed for slow cooking or baking in the oven.

What's the difference between Texas French toast and French toast? ›

Quite simply, Texas French toast is exactly what it sounds like, French toast that has been made using the extra thick slices endemic to Texas toast. Since the cut of bread is so thick, it allows for greater absorption of the egg and cream mixture and longer frying times.

What are the disadvantages of French toast? ›

If you are watching your weight and health then you should know that French toast contains quite a high amount of saturated fat. This could be attributed to the eggs and milk that are among the ingredients of French toast. Saturated fat is one of the types of fats that you should avoid on a regular basis.

What happens if French toast is undercooked? ›

Especially in the US, raw eggs can carry salmonella. So to reduce the risk of getting salmonella from French toast, just make sure that each piece is cooked thoroughly so that the egg in it is no longer raw before you eat it.

Why does my French toast taste weird? ›

Nail the Egg-to-Milk Ratio

Eggs and milk are the essential components of the custard base that gives French toast its tender richness—but get their ratio off and you'll wind up with undercooked slices that have an unpleasantly savory "scrambled eggs" flavor.

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