Pumpkin French Toast
A rich, pumpkin-spiced French toast made with homemade almond-flour bread. The loaf is baked until light and golden, dried overnight, cut into sticks, soaked in a creamy pumpkin custard, pan-fried, and finished with a cinnamon-sweetener coating.
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Ingredients
For the bread base:
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 cup finely ground almond flour
- 3 large egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1/3 cup egg white protein powder or whey protein powder as a substitute
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 large whole egg
- 2 tablespoons Swerve sweetener
- 3 large egg whites
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For the pumpkin custard:
- 3 tablespoons pure pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 3 large eggs preferably at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons powdered Swerve sweetener
For cooking and coating:
- 2 tablespoons butter or oil for greasing the skillet
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons Swerve sweetener
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C). Cover only the bottom of a 9 × 5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving the sides of the pan ungreased.
- Place the almond flour, egg white protein powder, 2 tablespoons Swerve sweetener, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk thoroughly until evenly blended and any lumps have been broken apart.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the 3 egg yolks, 1 whole egg, avocado oil, and water until the mixture is smooth and uniform.
- Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients. Whisk until a smooth, fully incorporated batter forms.
- Place the 3 egg whites in a separate large bowl and add the cream of tartar. Beat until the whites hold very stiff peaks.
- Carefully fold the whipped whites into the prepared batter. Continue folding gently until evenly incorporated and no visible white streaks remain, taking care to retain as much air in the mixture as possible.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan and level the surface.
- Bake for 40–50 minutes, until the loaf is risen and golden and the surface springs back when lightly pressed.
- Remove the loaf from the oven and allow it to cool completely while still in the pan.
- Once fully cooled, loosen the loaf by carefully running a sharp knife around the interior edges of the pan. Turn out the bread and remove the parchment from the bottom.
- Slice the loaf into 12 equal pieces. Arrange the slices on a wire rack and allow them to dry out overnight.
- After drying, divide each bread slice into 3 sticks, producing 36 French toast sticks in total.
- In a broad, shallow bowl, combine the 3 eggs, heavy cream, pumpkin puree, powdered Swerve sweetener, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla extract.
- Whisk until the custard is completely smooth and the pumpkin is evenly distributed.
- Heat approximately one-quarter of the butter or oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Place the bread sticks in the pumpkin custard, turning them to coat all sides. Allow each stick to absorb the mixture for approximately 30 seconds.
- Transfer one-quarter of the soaked sticks to the heated skillet without crowding the pan. Cook until golden on every side, allowing approximately 1 minute per side.
- Move the cooked sticks to a platter. Repeat with the remaining bread, custard, and butter or oil until all batches have been cooked.
- Combine the 3 tablespoons Swerve sweetener and ground cinnamon in a shallow dish.
- While the French toast sticks are still warm, roll each one through the cinnamon-sweetener mixture until evenly coated.
- Serve warm, with butter or a preferred keto-friendly syrup if desired.
Notes
Egg white protein powder may be replaced with whey protein powder.
Allowing the sliced bread to dry overnight helps prepare it for soaking in the pumpkin custard.
Pure pumpkin puree and pure vanilla extract may be used for a fuller pumpkin and vanilla flavor.
The finished French toast sticks may be served with additional butter or keto-friendly syrup.