The holidays are right around the corner and that means it’s time to start thinking up fun breakfasts like this Pumpkin Bourbon French Toast! Warming spices and pumpkin combine in the most delicious way to create a tender, thick French toast that’s totally Instagram worthy. Don’t worry, there’s not enough bourbon in there to give you a buzz and most of the alcohol is cooked out anyways, so this French toast is still kid-safe. I like the extra flavor added by the bourbon, but you can always just skip it if you prefer.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Bread – you can use just about any bread you like, but challah or brioche make the most tender, classic French toast. Just be sure it’s at least a day old so that the custard doesn’t make it overly soggy. I used sourdough here because I had some extra on hand after making another recipe.
Milk – Use whatever neutral tasting milk you prefer! I used almond milk, which doesn’t have a strong flavor. Some non-dairy milks have a really strong flavor or are overly sweet – I’d stay away from those in this recipe.
Pumpkin puree – Obviously this is where you get the pumpkin flavor and orange color from! Be sure to use pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
Bourbon – Just about any bourbon or whiskey that you like will do. I actually used peanut butter flavored whiskey here, though the peanut butter flavor is a bit hard to detect in the final cooked French toast. You can always just skip the bourbon if you prefer.
Eggs – These are the key to cooking French toast – you need eggs in order to create a custard that soaks through the bread to achieve that classic texture. You can cut this down to 2 eggs if you don’t have enough on hand!
Brown sugar – Just a touch of sugar to help bring out some sweetness in this French toast! Any type of sugar will work here, even maple syrup.
Cinnamon – you can also use pumpkin pie spice instead of cinnamon to help achieve that amazing holiday flavor combo!
Vanilla extract – Like salt in a savory dish, vanilla tends to enhance the flavors of a sweet recipe.
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Recipe
Pumpkin Bourbon French Toast
Ingredients
- 6 3/4" slices day old Wegman's challah bread (171 grams)
- 3/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (6 fl oz)
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree (122 grams)
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tbsp bourbon (1 fl oz)
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp brown sugar (14 grams)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
Heat large skillet or griddle over medium heat for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a casserole dish or other shallow, wide dish, beat eggs with milk, pumpkin puree, bourbon, vanilla extract, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
Soak bread without oversaturating, about 30-40 seconds per side. Pick up bread and allow excess batter to drip off; repeat with remaining slices.
Optional: Melt 1 tablespoon butter in hot skillet or griddle.
Add prepared bread to skillet without overcrowding. Cook until golden brown, about 1 minute 45 seconds on first side and 1 minute on the second. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
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