Welcome to Slow Cooker week at The Stay At Home Chef! This week I’m celebrating the launch of my first cookbook. It’s all about Slow Cooking so what better way to celebrate than to share 5 more great slow cooker recipes!
I’m starting with breakfast because I absolutely love using my slow cooker for breakfast. One of the few ways I can convince my family to give up their cold cereal is to provide a hot and tasty breakfast for them that requires little to no work on their part. Since I am most definitely not a morning person the slow cooker saves the day. It’s also the first of September so why not make it a fall recipe! Pumpkin french toast casserole. Toss it in the slow cooker before bed and you’ll wake up to a house that is just screaming fall which is perfect for those crisp and cold fall mornings.
Prep Time: < 10 minutes
Slow Cooker Time: 8 hours, low
Yield: Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
1 loaf french bread, cubed
2 cups half and half
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree (2 cups)
5 eggs
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
pinch salt
pinch ground cloves
Crumble:
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
pinch ground cloves
Instructions
1. Place the french bread cubes in a 5 to 6 quart slow cooker.
2. In a medium-size mixing bowl, whisk together half and half, pumpkin puree, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and cloves until well combined. Pour over bread in slow cooker.
3. In a small mixing bowl, use a fork or pastry cutter to mix together brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves until crumbly. Sprinkle over the top of the soaked bread.
4. Cook on low 8 hours. Serve hot plain or drizzled with syrup.
Want 120 more great slow cooker recipes? You should check out my new cookbook!
can you use challah bread in place of french bread? will it be too soggy?
Yes! I love using challah for french toast.
YUM!! I’m dying to make this! Do you think evaporated milk would work in place of the half & half or would it not be as good?
Definitely won’t be as good since the fat content is much higher in half and half. And fat tastes good 🙂
How much bread are you supposed to use? I bought a French bread loaf (1 lb) at the store and was only able to fit about 2/3 of the cubes in my (5-quart) slow cooker before it was running over the top. I'm afraid I might not have nearly enough liquid to make this work.
A 1 lb loaf is what I use. It does shrink down as it cooks, but it should still fit in a 5 at slow cooker.
A 1 lb loaf is what I use. It does shrink down as it cooks, but it should still fit in a 5 at slow cooker.
Can you substitute something lighter than half and half?
The only thing lighter is milk. It would work, but it definitely wouldn't be as creamy.
What size slow cooker do you recommend for this recipe?
5-6 qt.
Can this be cooked on high for a reduced amount of time?
That really depends on the kind of slow cooker you are using. Many slow cookers are designed to rise to the same end temperature (somewhere right around 200 degrees) whether it is on high or low. The difference between the settings is just the time it takes to reach the 200 degrees. Some slow cookers (depending on brand, usually lower end) actually have a different heat setting where low may be 200 degrees while high may be upwards of 250 or 300 degrees. I do not recommend using an increased temperature version for this recipe.
Do you use a standard 15 oz can of pumpkin puree? Also, could you use pumpkin pie spice instead of the spice blend you suggest?
Yes, a standard 15 oz can. I've updated the recipe to reflect that. And yes, you can use a pumpkin pie spice blend instead. I just never buy blended spices as I prefer to blend my own.