Protein pumpkin bread French toast

To contact us Click HERE

Topped with cinnamon and a blob of coconut butter -- reminiscent of frosting!

This was inspired by a recipe for banana bread French toast. If it can be done with banana bread, why not pumpkin? It's a perfect breakfast for an autumn morning.

I opted to use protein powder as my primary flour substitute. It worked great, although the texture of protein powder based baked goods tends to be very smooth and a bit gummy. I think that almond flour yields a nicer crumb, so if you don't care about macros you can make a different pumpkin bread recipe such as this one. However, I was willing to compromise for a more satiating breakfast. I also added a bit of golden flax meal to improve the texture and also add some extra fiber. And of course there are also eggs and coconut oil. So it's French toast, but you're also getting plenty of protein, healthy fats, fiber, and even a veggie serving from the pumpkin!

This recipe is kinda-sorta dairy-free. I used whey protein isolate, which has all of the lactose and casein removed. Most people who eschew dairy avoid it because of one or both of those compounds, so even if you don't eat dairy you might be okay with this particular protein powder. If not, you can try egg white protein or rice protein.

I baked it in a petite loaf pan so that it would rise like bread, rather than getting little rectangles like you would get in a conventional loaf pan. They are easy to find; I saw foil ones at Wal-Mart for a little over a buck. You can bake it in a regular loaf pan, you just might need to adjust the cooking time and the slices will not look as nice.

I doubled up on the pumpkin by adding pumpkin puree to the egg wash mixture as well. If you prefer a fluffy French toast, you can make this recipe for the bread but use the pumpkin egg batter and add extra spices. This is more dense than fluffy, as is characteristic of any quick bread. I try not to eat very sweet things, so I just topped it with coconut butter and cinnamon. However it would be terrific with a drizzle of maple syrup, either the real stuff or make your own sugar-free version.

PROTEIN PUMPKIN BREAD FRENCH TOAST
Makes 8 thick slices, or 12 thin ones

INGREDIENTS

For the bread:

• 2 scoops vanilla whey protein isolate (True Nutrition WPI in natural premium vanilla or Jay Robb brand are stevia-sweetened)
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 2 Tbs milled golden flax seed
• 4 Tbs melted coconut oil
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 Tbs pumpkin pie spice (or combine 2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1/4 tsp allspice, and 1/4 tsp nutmeg)

For the egg batter:

• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup canned coconut milk, stirred
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Dash of cinnamon
• Coconut oil or ghee for cooking

DIRECTIONS

1.  Preheat oven to 350 F
2. Combine the flax meal with 1/4 cup water in a small bowl. Set aside to soak while you mix the other ingredients.
3. Combine the protein powder, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice in a small bowl. In a larger separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, coconut oil, and pumpkin. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix thoroughly. Add the flax mixture and stir to combine.
4. Grease a loaf pan (preferably a mini pan) and pour in the batter. Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes or until solid. Let cool thoroughly before slicing, at least an hour. Ideally, chill it in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.
5. When ready to make French toast, preheat a nonstick skillet over medium heat until quite hot. Whisk together the egg batter ingredients except for the oil. Working in batches, dip slices of pumpkin bread in the batter, then cook over medium heat in coconut oil or ghee until both sides are golden brown, turning only once. Serve.

Freezing directions:  Let cool, freeze in ziploc bags, and keep frozen until ready to eat. To serve, place in toaster oven or microwave for 1-2 minutes.

Posted in: breakfast