Don’t you just love the holidays? Sure, there’s a bit of hustle and bustle that comes with it, but soaking up that sweet time with your loved ones is well worth it. If your gatherings are anything like ours, we love to spend the entire day together. That means we have breakfast, lunch, and dinner as a group, so we don’t miss out on a moment of quality time! We like to start things off with this Thankful French Toast Bake. We prep it the night before, stick it in the oven in the morning, and just like that glittery holiday magic, it’s ready for everyone to dig into as they wake up! Nothing starts off our celebration better than this French bread bake that’s infused with tastes of the season, like pumpkin and all the cozy spices. Thankful French Toast Bake really makes for a delightful way to begin our gratitude-centered festivities. Enjoy every second!
Ingredients
- 8 large eggs
- 2 cups 2% milk
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 (15-ounce) can pure pumpkin
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, plus more, to taste, for garnish
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 14 cups challah or egg bread, cubed
- 1/2 cup raisins
- maple syrup, to taste, for serving
Directions
Step 1 –Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
Step 2 –In a large bowl, add the eggs, the milk, the heavy whipping cream, the pumpkin, the sugar, the vanilla extract, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the cinnamon, the salt, the ginger, and the nutmeg and whisk to combine.
Step 3 –Add the bread cubes and the raisins to the pumpkin mixture and gently stir to combine.
Step 4 –Pour the French toast mixture into the prepared baking dish.
Step 5 –Cover the baking dish and transfer it to the refrigerator to chill for at least 8 hours and up to overnight.
Step 6 –Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 7 –While the oven preheats, let the French toast mixture rest at room temperature.
Step 8 –Bake the French toast bake, uncovered, until the edges of the bread are golden-brown and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour 15 minutes-1 hour 25 minutes.
Step 9 –Transfer the baking dish from the oven and let the French toast bake stand, about 5-10 minutes.
Step 10 –Serve the French toast bake topped with the extra cinnamon and the maple syrup.
