I know I am a couple of days behind but I would like to celebrate all of you awesome moms out there today. I decided to hold off on posting until today so that I could focus on spending Mother’s Day with my family celebrating my wife’s first year as a mom.
Of course, I must start with my wife. This woman is simply amazing. Watching her grow into being a mother has been so special to watch and I am so fortunate to call her my partner and to be on this journey together!
Next, I have to honor my mom and my grandmothers. My mom is the reason that I love to cook. I spent a lot of time growing up in the kitchen with her. She always cooks with such love and care. She taught me that cooking can be therapeutic and a way to share your heart with other people. She also taught me most of my favorite recipes! Below her are her mom and my dad’s mom. Both wonderful women as well. Your favorite Bearded Foodie couldn’t exist without these women, so say thank you!
These are just a few more of the kickbutt mothers in my life. You are all amazing people and have raised or are raising just the best little humans. I am thankful to call you all family and that you and yours are in my life.
There are so many more great mothers that I could mention and I am thankful for all of you too! Now on to why you are all really here…FOOD!
Today we are going to make a fairly simple baked french toast. This recipe is inspired by the Vegan Pumpkin French Toast Casserole by Bad Manners. If you have not been to their blog, I highly recommend their recipes for wholesome, healthy, vegan and vegetarian food!
I refer to this as a casserole because it is not slices of bread dipped in custard and layered like the baked french toast of my childhood. Rather, I choose to tear up day old crusty bread, like a sourdough or country loaf, and put it in a custard like sauce and bake it. The flavors at the end are scream pumpkin pie and will take your mind to that first crisp fall day. It is both light and fluffy while being hearty. Pair it with your favorite breakfast/brunch dishes and go to town!
Preparation:
Begin by preheating your oven to 375 degrees and cutting your bread into chunks. I cut mine into roughly 1/2″ to 1″ cubes. From there you are going to whisk the half and half, eggs, vanilla, and pumpkin puree together in a bowl. Once combined add in your spices and brown sugar and stir everything together well.
From here the process is quite simple, add your bread chunks in and stir to coat everything equally. Pour the mixture into a well greased 9×13 pan or dish.
I chose to cover the casserole in tin foil for the first 20 minutes of the bake. This helped to ensure that everything was set and it was not wet once finished baking and ready to serve. After 20 minutes, remove the tin foil and place the casserole back in the oven for another 15-20 minutes. The remaining bake is a little bit of a guessing game. Let it bake until the top of the casserole is a nice golden brown.
That’s it! I like to serve mine with maple syrup, but you could also do a simple glaze or icing.
Enjoy and let me know what you think in the comments below!
Ingredients
- 1 Loaf Day old bread Sourdough
- 6 Eggs Large
- 2 Cups Half and Half
- 15 Ounces Pumpkin Puree
- 1 Tbsp Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 Cup Light Brown Sugar Packed
- 2 Tsp Cinnamon Ground
- 1 Tsp Ginger Ground
- 1/2 Tsp Nutmeg Ground
- 1/2 Tsp Clove Ground
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 Degrees. Grease a 9×13 dish.
- Cube bread into rough pieces about 1/2-1" in size.
- Combine eggs, half and half, vanilla, and pumpkin puree. Whisk together well.
- Add brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and clove and stir to combine.
- Place bread cubes into the custard like sauce and stir to coat evenly.
- Pour everything into the greased dish and cover with tin foil.
- Bake for 20 minutes and then remove tin foil. Place back in the oven and bake for approximately another 15-20 minutes or until a nice golden brown.
- Let rest for a couple of minutes and serve with maple syrup, glaze, or icing.
