Equipment
Ingredients
Base
- 600 g brioche or challah bread, stale, cubed into 2.5cm pieces
- 15 g unsalted butter, room temperature
Custard
- 8 large eggs
- 360 ml whole milk, cold
- 120 ml heavy cream, cold
- 245 g pumpkin puree
- 100 g brown sugar, packed
- 10 ml vanilla extract
- 6 g pumpkin pie spice
- 3 g salt
Streusel Topping
- 60 g all-purpose flour
- 50 g brown sugar
- 60 g cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 50 g pecans, chopped
- 2 g ground cinnamon
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 576 kcal
- Protein
- 16 g
- Carbohydrates
- 68 g
- Fat
- 26 g
- Fiber
- 4 g
- Sugar
- 26 g
- Sodium
- 633 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 11 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 8 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 3 g
- Cholesterol
- 228 mg
- Potassium
- 275 mg
- Calcium
- 128 mg
- Iron
- 2.1 mg
- Magnesium
- 31 mg
- Phosphorus
- 186 mg
- Zinc
- 1.3 mg
- Vitamin A
- 465 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 2 mg
- Vitamin D
- 1.8 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 1.4 mg
- Vitamin K
- 7 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.7 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.15 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.40 mg
- Niacin
- 0.8 mg
- Folate
- 46 mcg
- Water
- 118 g
- Alcohol
- 0 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Grease a 9x13 inch (approx 3L) baking dish with butter. Arrange the cubed bread evenly in the dish.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, heavy cream, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, vanilla extract, pumpkin pie spice, and salt until completely smooth and combined.
Pour the custard mixture evenly over the bread. Press the bread down gently with a spatula or spoon to ensure every piece is submerged and begins to soak up the liquid.
Cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap or foil. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight (8-12 hours), to allow the bread to fully absorb the custard.
The next morning, remove the casserole from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking to take the chill off. Preheat oven to 175°C/350°F.
While the oven heats, prepare the streusel. Combine flour, brown sugar, pecans, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Cut in the cold butter using a fork or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over the casserole. Bake for 45-55 minutes. The top should be golden brown, and the center should be set (not jiggly liquid) with an internal temperature of at least 74°C/165°F.
Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving. This allows the custard to set firmly for easier slicing.
Chef's Notes
- For the best texture, leave your cubed bread out on a baking sheet for a few hours (or overnight) before assembling to stale it properly. Dry bread soaks up more custard without dissolving.
- If you don't have heavy cream, you can use all whole milk, but the final texture will be slightly less rich and more pudding-like.
- Serve with warm maple syrup or a dusting of powdered sugar. A dollop of whipped cream complements the pumpkin spice flavor perfectly.
- This recipe scales easily. If doubling, use two 9x13 pans rather than a deeper pan to ensure even cooking.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store baked casserole covered. Raw assembly must be baked within 12-14 hours.
Freezer: 2 months — Freeze baked portions tightly wrapped in foil.
Reheating: Reheat single servings in microwave for 1 minute or oven at 175°C/350°F covered with foil for 15-20 minutes.
Troubleshooting
Casserole is soggy in the middle
Cause: Bread did not absorb enough liquid or baking time was too short
Fix: Cover with foil (to prevent burning) and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes
Prevention: Ensure bread is stale/dry before soaking and bake until center registers 74°C
Top is burning before center is cooked
Cause: Oven rack too high or temperature calibration off
Fix: Tent loosely with aluminum foil for the remainder of the baking time
Prevention: Bake in middle or lower third of oven
Cultural Context
While French Toast (Pain Perdu) originated as a way to reclaim stale bread in Europe, the casserole variation is a distinctly American evolution designed for convenience and communal dining. This version incorporates the modern American tradition of 'pumpkin spice'—a blend popularized in the 20th century referencing pumpkin pie filling—making it a staple for Thanksgiving mornings and autumn brunch gatherings.
