easy, breezy mornings

I've been wanting to make this recipe for a while now, so when my sister invited a friend and I over for brunch, I knew this would be the perfect accompaniment. First of all it's pumpkin flavored, and we all know how I feel about that. 

Secondly, it's a cinnamon French toast (which I love) but baked, so you're not laboring over a pan flipping a couple of pieces of bread at a time. Thirdly, this is better if you assemble it the night before baking, giving you the morning to leisurely toss this into the oven and do your nails or something. 

The pumpkin cream cheese combo was just sweet and tangy enough that it was perfect for brunch, or breakfast, without it feeling like bread pudding for dessert. The crunchy pecans don't hurt either.  

This was a win, for sure. 

Baked Pumpkin Cheesecake French Toast

Adapted from here

Serves 8

Recipe Notes-

- I used 2- 9oz. loaves of French bread baguettes because that’s what was available and I found it to be a perfect amount to fill the pan and absorb the custard. So all in all, look for about 18 oz. of bread, and any kind will do. Something crusty will absorb the liquid better, but really any kind you like will work here.

- This is an easy recipe to put together, but you need time to let this sit, so this really shouldn’t be made the morning of, unless your morning will start at 5am. Truly, it’s better if you let this sit overnight because then the custard fully absorbs into the bread then you can sleep in a little bit. Win, win!

- It's really easy to halve this recipe if you aren't serving a large crowd. I just used one loaf of bread and halved the rest of the ingredients and it came out perfect!

Ingredients:

2 French bread loaves, cubed (see Recipe Note above)

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/3 Cup granulated sugar

½ Cup pumpkin puree

3 Large eggs, at room temperature

¾ Cup milk

2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

½ tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. vanilla extract

For the topping:

¼ Cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces

¼ Cup all-purpose flour

½ Cup brown sugar, packed

½ tsp. cinnamon

¼ Cup pecans, chopped

Directions:

1. Lightly coat a 9x13” baking dish with nonstick spray and spread the bread cubes evenly.

2. In bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with a whisk attachment, beat cream cheese and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy.

3. Add the pumpkin puree and mix thoroughly. Add the eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated. Then slowly add the milk, scraping the sides as needed. Finish with the spices and vanilla and mix until there are no clumps.

4. Pour the mixture over the bread cubes. With a spatula, press the cubes down into the liquid so that all the bread is evenly coated. Place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

5. Preheat the oven to 350° F. While the oven is preheating make the topping:

6. In a small bowl, combine the butter, flour, brown sugar and cinnamon until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the pecans and toss to coat.

7. Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the bread cubes and place the pan into the oven. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve immediately and enjoy!