Pumpkin Croissant French Toast Bake

Recipe from Life Made Simple Bakes (lifemadesimplebakes.com)

Makes 6-8 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 1 loaf brioche or challah bread or 6 large or 18 mini croissants, cubed
• 2 cups whole milk
• ½ cup heavy cream
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup brown sugar, packed
• 8 eggs
• 15 ounces pumpkin purée
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
• ¼ tsp ground cloves
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp kosher sea salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Butter or spray a 9×13-inch baking dish or 4 qt. enamel cast iron, add cubed bread or croissants; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, cream, sugars, eggs, pumpkin, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, cloves, and cinnamon. Pour half of the mixture over the bread croissants. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 350° F.
4. Pour remaining batter over bread/croissants.
5. Place in oven and bake for 45 minutes to an hour (you may need to tent the top of the bake with a piece of foil during the last 15 minutes to prevent over-browning). Remove from the oven and allow to cool/set for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with a dusting of powdered sugar and maple syrup if desired.
6. OPTIONAL: Sprinkle with Toasted Chai Pepitas (Recipe below).

NOTES

1. Day-old bread works best.
2. If you don’t have time to let unbaked casserole to set overnight, allow it to rest in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

Toasted Chai Pepitas 

Recipe from I Delicate (idelicate.com)

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups raw pepitas
• 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp ground cloves
• ¼ tsp ground allspice
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 200° F.
2. In a medium bowl, mix pepitas and maple syrup until well-coated. In a small bowl, combine salt and spices. Sprinkle the spice mixture over the syrup-coated pepitas and mix well until spices are evenly distributed.
3. Spread pepitas into a thin layer on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes or until aromatic and lightly crispy.