Pumpkin Spice Stuffed French Toast (dairy-free, gluten-free, egg-free, vegan)

I’ve always wanted to try stuffed French toast but how to make French toast without eggs was the dilemma.  Here’s the solution.  It takes a bit of forethought but its well worth the effort.  Makes four servings.

You’ll need:

• 8 slices of gluten-free bread, the thicker the better
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 tablespoon date sugar
• 6 ounces of non-dairy cream cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 cup milk of choice
• 2 tablespoons ground flax
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Dash of salt
• 1 cup cranberry compote (see separate recipe)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Spray a 8×10 inch baking dish.  Mix:

• 6 ounces of cream cheese
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 tablespoon date sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Using a fork, mix until well blended.  Spread on all 8 slices of bread.  Heat the milk and add the ground flax.  Let cool until just warm.  Add the baking powder, salt and vanilla and whisk to combine.  Spread some of the cream cheese mixture on each of the bread slices.  Add a tablespoon of cranberry compote to 4 slices.  Top those slices with the other 4 slices of bread.  Place in the baking dish.  Top with the milk mixture.  Let sit 15 minutes and then turn the bread over so that the other side can absorb milk mixture.  Refrigerate for 1 hour.  Turn the bread over again.  

In a 10-12″ skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil (or your oil of choice).  Add the 4 bread pieces and cook over medium low heat for 5-6 minutes or until golden brown.  Turn over and repeat.  The slices may slip slightly from the cream cheese stuffing getting warm so be careful in turning.  Here we want to allow the milk mixture to cook along with the bread but not overheat the middle cream cheese mixture which will then run out of the bread thereby taking away the “stuffed” part of the French toast.  So keep the heat fairly low even it takes slightly longer to cook.  When done, slice each diagonally and top with more cranberry compote or maple syrup if preferred.

Alternatives:  If you don’t like pumpkin and cranberries here are some alternatives.  Use instead of the pumpkin, apple or pear sauce (preferably chunky) along with a berry jam or apple butter.  OR delete the pumpkin from the cream cheese mixture and use strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, blueberry, or cherry jam instead of the cranberry compote.