After carving up my pie pumpkin for the pumpkin seeds, I baked it, covered in foil, at 350 degrees F for an hour.  Then I scraped out the roasted pulp.

But what do I make with my fresh pumpkin?

French toast, of course!

I found a few nice recipes online, including this recipe from Cooking Classy.  But, in the end, I changed around a few things, so I’ve posted my own printable PDF for the recipe I used (below).

It was a big hit.  The mild pumpkin flavor paired well with the maple syrup.  The interior was soft and moist, but with a crunchy, sugary streusel highlighting every bite.

I usually make my French toast with slices of bread on a griddle, but I needed something easy for guests, so something that could be made ahead was a huge plus.

I made both the french toast and the streusel topping the night before, storing them separately in the refrigerator until the next morning.

The pumpkin puree, eggs, and milk were whisked together with the sugar and spices.

I made my casserole with Challah bread.  It’s an egg bread, but you could use any bread you wanted, really.  I often make french toast from wheat bread or homemade bread.  You could even try cinnamon raisin bread.

Cut the bread into one-inch chunks.

Layer half the bread in a greased pan.  Slowly spoon or ladle the milk mixture over the bread, covering every piece.  Add the rest of the bread, and the rest of the milk mixture.

Then, refrigerate it for 2 hours or overnight.

I couldn’t find my pastry cutter, so I used two knives to make the streusel topping.  That was also stored – separately – in the refrigerator until the next day.

Before baking, it sat out for a half hour, to bring it to room temperature.  You know it’s done when it’s bubbling around the edges and the topping looks deliciously crunchy.

Doesn’t that look amazing??  Tell me that doesn’t look mouth-watering … I dare you!

Seriously, though.  You should check out the photo with the maple syrup again.  Yum.

Whipped cream is another great option, but I forgot to buy heavy cream, so I couldn’t make it.  Didn’t miss it, though.  You could eat this without any toppings and still love it.

Anyway, here is the printable PDF recipe:

Pumpkin and Streusel French Toast Recipe

Enjoy!  :)