Vegan French Toast Pull Apart Bread

Vegan French toast pull apart bread is a delicious gluten free breakfast treat! It’s easy to make, with no dairy or eggs needed. Plus, you can make it ahead and freeze it to serve later. Let your kids help you make this simple recipe for Mother’s Day brunch!

 Disclosure – We are grateful to be partnering with Little Northern Bakehouse on this post. Thank you for supporting the brands that allow me to create wholesome gluten free and vegan recipes.

This is a fun, easy, and simple stay-at-home mother’s day recipe idea. In fact, it’s SO simple that your kids can help you make it. Hooray for a restful, stay-out-of-the-kitchen holiday!

And come on – everyone loves French toast, am I right?!

Oh, another bit of awesome info. The pull apart bread is freezable, so you can choose to make it ahead if you want to. But, it’s super quick to make, so you can prep it the day you want to serve it.

This isn’t just any old vegan French toast. It’s pull-apart (able), and so so DELICIOUS!

What makes this vegan French toast special?

When I make this recipe, I use Little Northern Bakehouse White Wide Slice or Whole Grain Wide Slice bread. Not only is it delightfully delicious, but it is also super soft, so it soaks up all that good flavor from the batter!

Or, for a sweeter flavor and a little extra nutrition from fruit, you can use their Cinnamon & Raisin bread.

I love using this brand because their products are made with gluten-free, non-GMO and whole-food ingredients.

Oh, and they use seeds and grains for a boost in nutrition. You know how I feel about sneaking in extra goodness, right?

Plus, they are 100% plant-based and vegan, so you can safely serve them without worrying about food preferences and/or allergies.

You’ll find their products in the freezer section of your grocery store. Most likely, in the natural or gluten free foods aisle. They make other products too, so be sure to try ALL of their options!

How to Make the Pull Apart Bread

Whether you plan to make the entire loaf ahead or not, you can make the batter whenever you are ready. It keeps well in the fridge for a day; after that, the mixture will become too thick to use.

INGREDIENTS

Here’s what you’ll need for the batter:

• Non-dairy milk
• Non-dairy creamer, or coconut milk
• Raw sugar or maple syrup
• Arrowroot starch or cornstarch
• Chia seeds (either buy them ground, or use a food processor or coffee bean grinder to make your own)
• Flax meal
• Ground cinnamon
• Vanilla extract
• Kosher salt (fine, not the coarse grind)

You’ll also need:

• 10-12 slices vegan gluten free bread (Little Northern Bakehouse wide slice bread, diced into pieces)
• blueberries and/or sliced strawberries

Icing/glaze (optional)

• Maple syrup
• Powdered sugar (or sugar substitute)
• Lemon juice
• Vegan butter or refined coconut oil

Tips for making an egg free/vegan French toast batter:

• Grind some chia seeds and combine them with arrowroot starch or cornstarch. This combo helps to create a custard-like batter. As a result, it holds the bread together as it bakes in the oven.
• Can you use flax meal? Well, yes. But I find that ground chia gives the bread a lighter hold and better flavor.

1. Make the vegan French toast batter.

Making this batter is pretty much the same as making any other gluten free French toast batter.

The main difference is that rather than using eggs to thicken the batter, you’ll use chia seeds and flax meal, plus a bit of arrowroot.

Just whisk the batter ingredients together in a large bowl, then allow it to rest for 10 minutes or so while your oven preheats. During that time, the batter will thicken. This will help create a “custard” like batter when you bake it all together.  Also, while you wait, line a loaf pan or cake pan with parchment paper.

Trust me, this vegan batter is AMAZING even if you end up skipping the loaf part. Just soaking the bread in this batter and then baking or frying works too!

1. Soak the bread.

I usually put the batter into a flat-bottomed baking dish, then toss the bread cubes in and let them soak. You could use a large batter bowl as well.

You want to make sure that the bread soaks up all of the batter, so let it sit for at least 15 minutes.

1. Add the fruit.

When the bread is saturated, mix in your berries, then place everything in your lined pan. Add a few sliced berries or strawberries on top of the loaf, too.

1. Bake

Place the unbaked vegan French toast loaf on the center rack of your preheated oven. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown and firm to the touch.

1. Cool and garnish with glaze.

After you remove it from the oven, allow it to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. While the bread cools, make the glaze.

Add the icing ingredients to a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking until smooth. Reduce heat to low or set aside until ready to serve.

Important! Do not allow the glaze to cool before adding it to the loaf.

Remove the warm bread from the pan, place it onto a pretty serving platter, and pour the glaze over the top.

If you need any vegan substitutes or tips for making the loaf, please please don’t hesitate to email or comment below. Happy to help!

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Alright my friends, I hope you give this vegan french toast a whirl! I bet the kids would love making it. Just a thought. Wink wink!

Keep up with the compassionate, fun-loving Little Northern Bakehouse on Facebook &  Instagram! They are full of gluten free recipe inspiration!

Cheers,

LC