Pumpkin Breakfast Casserole

For me, the ultimate comfort food is a casserole. To make it even more comforting, add the warming and cozy flavours of pumpkin spice with pumpkin puree to this Pumpkin Breakfast Casserole! Prepared the night before, brioche bread is layered with chopped pecans and soaked in a pumpkin-infused custard made with cream, maple syrup, and vanilla. Comfort food doesn’t get any better than that!

Pumpkin Breakfast Casserole is super easy, super impressive, and super delicious! We all know that a casserole-style French toast is rustic and comforting. It’s meant to be enjoyed by family and friends. Breakfast or brunch, it doesn’t matter as long as there’s good conversation. And, in the privacy of your own home, copious amounts of syrup and hot coffee!

This recipe is so easy to prepare and it is ost certainly ideal if you are serving breakfast or brunch to a crowd. You can easily prepare the mixture the night before and load it all into individual ramekins, or even little cast iron skillets. Or, you can pile it all into a 9×13-inch casserole dish and make it even simpler. Bake it off in the morning and serve it up with granola, syrup, and even a little sweet icing drizzle!

WELCOME TO A LORD BYRON CHRISTMAS!

I’m going to tell you all about this recipe and how you can make it in your home this holiday season, but first, I want to tell you about what you can expect from Lord Byron’s Kitchen this Christmas. I know we’re getting closer to the big day, so it’s time to get to the holiday-themed recipes! Over the past decade, I have built a reputation for sharing series-type recipes. The most popular would be my annual 24 Cookies of Christmas, which was fashioned after an advent calendar. But, I have others that are only 12 days, which were fashioned after the 12 Days of Christmas.

This particular recipe is a part of my first holiday series for this year. So, welcome, Dear Reader, to Lord Byron’s 12 Holiday Pumpkin Recipes Series. Just like every other series that I’ve shared over the years, this one will also see a new recipe shared each day for the next 12 days – even on Saturday and Sunday! You might be asking yourself, how many Christmas recipes could one possibly have or need? Well, I say you can never have too much of a good thing. And, I love having lots of choices. Who wants to prepare the same holiday recipes year after year?

SUBSCRIBE NOW AND NEVER MISS ANOTHER RECIPE!

Traditionally, every year I share a series of recipes that you might already be familiar with. For example, I’ve previously shared 12 Holiday Trifles, 12 Holiday Bars & Squares, and even these 12 Edible Holiday Wreath recipes! Also, some of my favourite recipe collections from previous years are my 75 Homemade Gifts from Your Kitchen, my 50 Make Ahead Freezer Friendly Christmas Recipes, and my 30 No-Bake Christmas Recipes post.

You really don’t want to miss one of these recipes, so if you have not yet subscribed to Lord Byron’s Kitchen, I encourage you to do so. That way, a new recipe will be emailed to you every day. You won’t have to bother to come looking for it! And, just in case you’re curious, you can see previous annual posts for my 24 Cookies of Christmas Series here!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Brioche Bread – Using one large loaf, cut it into one-inch cubes. Alternatively, you could use challah, Hawaiian bread, or even croissants.
• Pecans – You can also use walnuts.
• Eggs – Whenever you set out to bake, make sure your eggs are at room temperature! For this recipe, you will need twelve whole large eggs.
• Cream – Heavy cream will give the dish a richer and more flavourful profile. In a bind, whole milk can be used too.
• Pumpkin Puree
• Maple Syrup – You can use real or imitation here.
• Vanilla Extract – Probably the most common extract and the most common flavouring used in cakes and cookies. 
• Pumpkin Spice Seasoning Blend
• Salt

HOW TO MAKE A PUMPKIN BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Transfer half of the prepared brioche to the baking dish in an even layer. Sprinkle over half of the pecans. Next, add the remaining cubed brioche. Whisk together the eggs, cream, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, vanilla extract, pumpkin spice seasoning blend, and salt. Pour the mixture evenly over the last layer of brioche. Sprinkle over the remaining pecans. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, remove the dish from the fridge and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes while you preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Bake, covered, for 30 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and bake for a further 25 minutes. Serve warm with maple syrup. If you wish, you can prepare a sweet icing drizzle by whisking together two cups of confectioner’s sugar with 2-3 tablespoons of milk. Whisk until smooth. Transfer to a serving pitcher or bowl and allow everyone to serve themselves!

HERE’S WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO MAKE A PUMPKIN SPICE BLEND

If you do not have a jar of store-bought or pre-made pumpkin spice seasoning blend on hand, you can make your own quite easily. Most of us have a spice rack or cabinet with the following ingredients in it. You can find the exact amound needed right here!

• Cinnamon – Cinnamon is a spice created from the inner bark of the Cinnamomum tree.   The bark is dried until it curls into a roll known as a cinnamon stick.  These are ground into powder.  Commonly found in baked goods, cinnamon is aromatic with a warming flavour.
• Ginger – Ground ginger is fresh ginger that has been peeled and dried before being ground into a powder.  It has a pale yellow in colour and a pungent, spicy smell.  It adds a warming, spicy flavour to recipes.
• Nutmeg – Nutmeg is a seed that comes in whole or ground form.  It is a key ingredient in many baked goods and is essential to anything eggnog related.  I often use it in fall dishes, especially in mashed potatoes!
• Allspice – Contrary to what its name suggests, allspice isn’t a blend of other spices.  Allspice comes from a dried brown berry from a tree.  It is a warm-tasting spice and is very aromatic.
• Cloves – Ground cloves come from whole cloves which have been finely ground.  They are a flower bud that comes from the clove tree.  Whole dried cloves look like small nails.  The name clove comes from the Latin word for nail.  They are extremely fragrant and commonly found in spiced cakes and confections.

CREAM VS WHIPPING CREAM

Confession time – I use them both interchangeably, depending on what is available at the store, or whatever is on sale! Both of these can be quite costly. If memory serves me correctly, a 250mL carton, or one cup, here in Canada, will run just short of $5! There is a difference between the two, but not enough to concern yourself with when it comes to this Pumpkin Breakfast Casserole.

Just in case you’re interested, the most basic difference is the amount of fat contained in both. Whipping cream has 35% fat. It can be whipped into peaks and it’s also rich enough that it won’t curdle when heated in soups and sauces. It’s nearly identical to cream so if a recipe calls for cream and you can only find whipping cream, feel free to use that instead. In contrast, cream, which is sometimes called heavy whipping cream, contains about 38% fat. Either of those would work well in this recipe.

REAL VS IMITATION MAPLE SYRUP

Maple syrup is one of those things where John.e and I disagree. He prefers real maple syrup, but I prefer artificial stuff. Whenever I include maple in my recipes though, I always use the real maple syrup. (I save my fake, cheap stuff for myself!) I know Pearl Milling Company Original Syrup is not authentic maple syrup, but it has a maple flavour and I love the thickness of it!

Since maple can be a little bit sweet, I didn’t use it a whole lot. Plus, you just want a hint of maple flavouring, so if you’re planning to use the real stuff, which can be rather expensive, don’t worry because you won’t be using too much of it.

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!

Finally, as I stated previously, every day I will be posting a new recipe. If you miss one, don’t fret. You can find my entire collection of Christmas Recipes right here! There are over 200 Christmas recipes and counting. There’s something for everyone! Cheers!