When those beautiful sugar pumpkins come to market I can hardly contain myself. I must get a few. Pumpkin is one of those ingredients that just makes everything better, as if they are smiling at you, ready to make your food shine. Along with chocolate chips, I am now weak at the knees. If you haven’t tried this combination you must. You will quickly say to yourself, What have I been missing!
The kids got up SO early today, why didn’t anyone tell them it was Sunday??
To save time, I prepared the batter the night before, chilled it overnight, then assembled it in the morning while the oven was preheating. I put the pumpkin french toast into the oven and went back to bed. The kids felt Mom needed company by jumping on the bed, how thoughtful, with SpongeBob and Patrick blaring from the TV. Welcome to Sunday mornings at our house.
The smell of chocolate and sugary spice filled the air. Everyone was anxiously waiting for breakfast. A sprinkle of powder sugar and time to dig in. First bite filled with sweet pumpkin and spice softening the bread with a touch of chocolate. Melt in your mouth goodness, no maple syrup needed here, it’s that moist! Worth the wait folks. I do love lazy pajama Sundays lounging around and eating, especially a breakfast treat. Gosh, you won’t believe this is gluten free, dairy free AND soy free. The bread tastes like the real thing – filling every morsel with yummy pumpkin batter, ever so lovingly. You will score some major “I owe you” points with this. Happy Sunday!
Makes a 13×10 inch casserole dish
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 105 minutes
*Batter can be made the day before, chilled overnight
Serves: 8
Ingredients:
10 whole eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
5 cups **homemade, pumpkin puree (1 small sugar pumpkin) or canned pumpkin
1/4 cup chocolate chips (I use Enjoy brand)
2 1/2 cups coconut milk (I use So Delicious Original Flavor)
1 loaf Udi’s Gluten Free Whole Grain Bread
Preheat Oven Temperature to 350 degrees F
**Note: Roasting Pumpkin: cut the sugar pumpkin in half, scoop out seeds with a spoon (roast separately for a healthy snack), place pumpkin halves on a parchment lined baking sheet, skin side up. Bake at 400 degrees F for 35-40 minutes, until very soft to the touch. Let it cool to room temperature. Scoop out flesh for batter. Remaining pumpkin will stay fresh up to a week, refrigerated, or freeze in an airtight container for 6 months.
In a medium bowl, add eggs, sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, pumpkin puree, and coconut milk. With a handheld electric mixer, beat on low speed at first to prevent splashing then raise to medium speed, mix for 2-3 minutes, until batter is smooth. Add chocolate chips, stir to combine.
If making ahead, cover with plastic wrap, chill overnight.
Pour 2 cups of the batter into the heatproof casserole, lay out the slices of bread, overlapping each other. Pour the rest of the batter over all the bread. Lift each piece of bread and redistribute batter in between the slices, making sure there is batter between every slice. Gently press bread down into the batter.
Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Transfer to a larger roasted pan, add hot tap water into the roasting dish; fill halfway up the casserole dish. Bake for 1 hour 30 minutes, until set and appears to have pulled away from the casserole dish.
Note: The water bath keeps the batter of the french toast moist as it cooks. Let it cool for 20 minutes before slicing. Serve hot with a dusting of powdered sugar.
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