Pumpkin Bread French Toast

Servings: 10

Start to finish: 4 hours (Active time: 40 minutes)

Pumpkin Bread:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for greasing

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup unsweetened pumpkin puree

2 large eggs

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup unsweetened pumpkin puree

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Confectioners’ sugar, as needed

1/2 cup dried fruits, like cranberries and golden raisins

Spiced Creme Anglaise (recipe below), for serving

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 9-in by 5-in loaf pan with butter and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the 4 tablespoons butter, sugar, and vegetable oil. Mix on medium speed, scraping the bottom of the bowl occasionally, until fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Add the pumpkin and mix until combined, about 30 seconds. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until incorporated each time and scraping the bowl as needed. Add the flour mixture and mix just until combined, about 30 seconds. Spread the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean, 60 to 75 minutes. Place the pan on a cooling rack to cool for about 10 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely.

To prepare the French toast, preheat the oven to 300 F. Slice the pumpkin bread into 10 slices and place on a baking sheet. Transfer to the oven and bake until the bread has dried out slightly, flipping once during cooking, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs, milk, pumpkin, maple syrup, salt, and cinnamon in a shallow dish.

Once the bread has cooled slightly, melt the butter in a saute pan over medium heat. Working in batches, soak the sliced bread in the egg mixture until it softens slightly, about 20 seconds per side. The bread is very absorbent, so be careful not to oversoak or it will fall apart.

Transfer to the hot pan and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Lower the heat as needed to prevent browning.

Transfer to a serving platter as done, dust with confectioners’ sugar, and garnish with dried fruit. Serve right away with creme anglaise.