Pumpkin Apple Challah French Toast
Undeniably one of the most popular breads for delicious, thick and fluffy French toast is Challah.
Tastes Like A Memory
Easy Like Sunday Morning
This recipe takes me back to my parent’s home in Woodland Hills, CA on a brisk Sunday morning. The tea kettle is singing, signaling mom’s pour over coffee is ready to be made. The sounds of high pitch character voices stream from the living room where my little brother is watching The Rugrats. The sound of the whisk beating against the glass mixing bowl lures me into the kitchen. When I see the sliced bread and griddle pan, I know what’s about to hit the plate and like Pavlov’s dog, I’m drooling.
Growing up, I always prefered French toast over pancakes. I loved the thickness, the eggy edges and the blizzard of powdered sugar I’d shake on top. I wasn’t a fan of maple syrup until I was an adult and powdered sugar just didn’t taste the same on pancakes.
Now, I love pancakes and French toast, with powdered sugar or maple syrup. For this recipe, the maple syrup compliments the pumpkin spice flavors very well.
Ingredients
- 1 loaf Pumpkin Apple Challah (sliced thick – 8 slices)
- 1 cup Oat Milk (Oatly is my fav)
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
- 4 tbsp Unsalted Butter, for frying
- 1 tbsp Canola Oil, for frying
To make a Pumpkin Apple Challah, I modified my basic Challah dough recipe to include pureed pumpkin, cinnamon and cardamon. Then, after the first rise, I rolled out the dough to a large rectangle, smeared on apple butter and topped with diced Honeycrisp apples. I rolled it up, sealed the ends of the log and then shaped it into a round which I then placed in a greased 9-in cake pan for baking.
Soak Challah Slices
You’ll want to soak the challah slices so they are coated on both sides and soaking in the egg/milk mixture for 10 minutes. This photo shows some slices soaked which are ready and the other half not yet ready.
Fry Challah Slices
One the griddle pan is hot and the butter/oil mixture is ready, cook the challah slices for about 3 minutes on each side. You are looking for a slighlty crisp light crust and a golden color. The inside will remain soft and fluffy.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1 – Prep
Slice the challah in thick slices and set aside.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the oat milk, eggs, vanilla and spices.
Step 2- Soak
Pour the egg/milk mixture into a shallow dish and add the slices of the challah. The bread will not be fully submerged and you may need two dishes to fit all of the bread. Turn each slice coating it in the mixture. Let the slices soak for 5 minutes and then turn and soak for another 5 minutes.
Step 3 – Fry
I learned to fry French toast with a mix of butter and canola oil from Martha Stewart. I always used just butter before reading about how she does it. I don’t use too much canola oil and butter is still the main start on the griddle. Just a little mixed with the butter is all you need.
I keep the griddle at a medium heat so the toast gets a nice light crust, cooks all the way through and doesn’t burn.
I wipe the griddle clean after each batch and add a fresh pat of butter and drizzle of canola oil.
Enjoy!