Pumpkin Spice French Toast Casserole with Pecan-Oat Crumble topping is a scrumptiously seasonal dish for upcoming holiday breakfasts and brunches.
Throw it together the night before you plan to serve and keep this make-ahead breakfast casserole in the fridge until ready to bake and serve. This takes so much stress out of a busy morning when hosting guests or just otherwise have a lot on your proverbial plate.
Pumpkin spice everything is LIFE this time of year, and using a pumpkin pie spice blend and already pureed pumpkin from a can minimizes the steps and adds convenience to putting together a holiday brunch recipes. A Wildgrain subscription box is another way to simplify and add convenience to your holiday entertaining and recipe plans.
Wildgrain is a delicious bread subscription box that also delivers artisanal pastas, pastries all kinds of breads (made with clean, nutritious ingredients) to your door that are frozen and ready to prepare in a flash – no more than 25 minutes from freezer door opening to your mouth opening for the first bite! I love to cook, but baking from scratch is a whole ‘nutha skill set and patience level, so I’m happy to let Wildgrain come to my rescue this holiday season when there is already more than enough “to-dos” on my list!
For this pumpkin breakfast casserole, I used the plain sourdough loaf in my box. Wildgrain bakers start with wild yeast to made the sourdough starter which takes days from start to finish and provides nutrients such as fiber-rich bran, proteins, probiotics, and vitamin-rich germ. The exterior of this loaf bakes up fabulously crusty and audibly crunchy while the interior is soft and tender with that old-school sourdough zip. So good!
When making a French toast casserole, it typically usually turns out best with bread a tad on the stale side so that it better soaks up the milk-egg mixture like a sponge.
With a fresh-baked loaf, the easy work around is to cut up in bite-sized cubes and leave on the counter uncovered for a couple hours.
Check out the No-Cook Tomato Artichoke Pasta made using one of Wildgrain’s hand-cut pastas! This was a quick and simple summer-inspired dish I created but would also be great for the holiday season, to bring to a party or serve at home on one of those busy nights when everything’s happening at once.
Let me know what you think about this pumpkin spice breakfast casserole and don’t forget to check out Wilgrain. Use code THEFITFORK to save $10 on your first box (AND, if you sign up now, they will treat you to a free 4-pack of croissants with each and every box you have delivered for life – and these croissants ARE AMAZING, we were fighting over the last one at my house!!!)
Treatyour holiday crowd this delicious pumpkin spice breakfast bake inspired byFrench toast! A crusty loaf of sourdough soaks up all the goodness and apecan-oat streusel like topping adds extra yum and then some! Make it ahead,stick in fridge overnight and bake in the morning for brunch
- 1 16- ounce loaf sourdough bread I used plain sourdough loaf from Wilgrain
- 6 large eggs
- 2 1/4 cups whole milk
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla
- 1 cup pumpkin puree from can
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 6 tablespoons butter cold
- 3/4 cup roughly chopped pecans*
- Optional topping ideas: maple syrup caramel sauce, or powdered sugar drizzle
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Cut or tear loaf into approximate 1” cubes. Stale bread soaks up the egg mixture better, so if loaf is fresh-baked, let the bread cubes sit on counter uncovered for a few hours.
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Spray a 10”-diameter oven-proof skillet or 9”×13” inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
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Add bread cubes to skillet or dish.
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In large bowl, whisk eggs, milk, vanilla, pumpkin, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice together. Pour mixture evenly over bread.
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Cover skillet and chill in fridge for 2 hours or more (even overnight) so that bread absorbs as much of the egg-pumpkin mixture as possible.
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Prepare topping by tossing brown sugar, oats, and pumpkin pie spice. Cut cold butter in little cubes and, using a fork or pastry cutter, mash around until mixture is coarsely combined and crumbly. Do not add topping until ready to bake (also keep in fridge until ready).
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Preheat oven to 350°F.
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Sprinkle pecan-oat crumb topping evenly over casserole and bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Then, cover skillet with aluminum foil and bake for an additional 25 minutes or until center appears set. Total bake time is about 45 minutes.
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Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. If desired, drizzle with a sauce such as maple syrup, caramel sauce, or a simple powdered sugar-milk drizzle.
