My husband and I stayed at the cutest bed and breakfast years ago, called the Gruene Apple, in Gruene, Texas. This recipe is from their kitchen. We fell in love with this dish long ago, but I serve it at least twice a year. It's a great make ahead dish and so it's perfect for serving Christmas morning or as I did last week (in June) for my daughter's birthday. My youngest turned 17 (OMG) and this was her requested Birthday breakfast. Good news this serves a crowd, which we didn't have, but my neighbors enjoyed us sharing with them.
Ingredients
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 can pumpkin
¾ cup sugar
½ teaspoon baking powder
6 eggs
3 cups milk or half and half
1 loaf french bread cut into ½ inch slices or into 1 inch cubes
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
½ cup flour
¾ cup softened butter
Preparation
In a large mixing bowl combine the cream cheese, vanilla, cinnamon, pumpkin, sugar and baking powder, then mix in the eggs and milk.
Put the bread in the mixing bowl and gently toss the bread until they soak up most of the egg mixture.
Place the bread in a 9 by 13 inch rectangular baking dish and pour any remaining liquid over top, then cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight.
When ready to bake, combine the brown sugar, pecans, flour and soft butter then sprinkle over top of the casserole.
Bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven for 40-50 minutes, until puffed and golden brown in color.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar or serve with maple syrup if desired. We think it’s sweet enough without but feel free to indulge!
Here's a picture of my daughter's birthday breakfast complete with hash browns, bacon, strawberries and flowers from my garden (super proud of those actually).
Printable recipe below: