RECIPE PUMPKIN BREAD FRENCH TOAST

Servings: 10

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

INGREDIENTS 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 purée

2 large eggs 2 eggs 1⁄2 cup milk

1⁄4 cup unsweetened pumpkin purée

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 Crème Anglaise (recipe below), for serving

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 center 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 sauté 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 crème anglaise. 4 large egg yolks

1 to 2 tablespoon bourbon (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS Combine the milk, cream, vanilla bean, and 1⁄4 cup of the sugar in a large, heavy, nonreactive saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.

Prepare an ice bath if you plan to serve the sauce cooled. In a medium bowl, combine the remaining 1⁄4 cup sugar with the egg yolks. Whisk until thoroughly combined. Temper the eggs by gradually adding about one-third of the hot cream mixture, whisking constantly. Add the remaining cream mixture, return to the pan, and gently cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in bourbon, if using.

Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a pitcher to serve warm, or into a bowl set over the ice bath to serve chilled. Stir the sauce occasionally as it cools. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.

Nutrition information per serving of French toast: 320 calories; 133 calories from fat; 15 g fat (6 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 106 mg cholesterol; 261 mg sodium; 45 g carbohydrate; 2 g fiber; 26 g sugar; 6 g protein.

Nutrition information per serving of creme: 162 calories; 103 calories from fat; 11 g fat (7 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 109 mg cholesterol; 23 mg sodium; 12 g carbohydrate; 0 g fiber; 12 g sugar; 2 g protein.