Baked Pumpkin French Toast

I think we are gonna have to have this for breakfast in the morning....mmmmmm!!!!
(thanks to dana-made-it.com)

Bread+Eggs+Pumpkin

This is adaptation of my favorite Overnight Caramel French Toast recipe from Cooking Light. I've been using the recipe for years and it comes out perfect every time. And better yet, the recipe has only 2 eggs and uses lowfat milk (no heavy cream). So you don't have to feel quite as guilty for indulging, just slightly guilty.

I gave the recipe a holiday twist by adding pumpkin and spices and you know what, I may like this version every better. With all that goey caramel goodness on the bottom, what's not to like?
Here you go!

Baked Pumpkin French Toast
1 loaf french bread

2 1/2 cups lowfat milk
1 Tbl flour
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbl sugar
3/4 cup pumpkin puree (canned or fresh)
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs

1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup light-colored corn syrup
1/4 cup butter (half a stick)

2 Tbl sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon
Cut the bread loaf into thick slices.
Combine and whisk the next set of ingredients from the milk down to the eggs.
In a saucepan, combine the butter, corn syrup, and brown sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly till bubbly (about 5 minutes)
Grease a 9x13 pan (I chose an oval dish) and you're ready to combine all the ingredients.
Pour the caramel mixture in the bottom of the pan:
Place the bread slices, in a single layer over the caramel syrup. Squish them in; it's okay to crowd.
Pour the milk/egg/pumpkin mixture over the top.
It may seem like a lot of liquid but most of it will soak up over night. And don't worry about splotches of pumpkin that settle as well. It will all be yummy goodness when you're done.
Place plastic wrap over the top and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove plastic wrap and sprinkle Cinnamon/Sugar mixture over the top (2 Tbl sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon).

Bake for 50 minutes and let it stand for 5 minutes before serving. It will be big a puffy at first and slowly settle down.
Pour syrup over the top and serve!

And no surprise....but it tastes even better with cool whip too. YUM. My favorite pumpkin recipe to date? I think so!