Baked French Toast

Ingredients

2 loaves of sliced French bread (30-40 slices)
8 large eggs
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla paste (or extract)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon Kosher salt
Praline Topping, recipe follows
Maple syrup

Pecan Topping

1  1/2 sticks unsalted butter, partially melted
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Butter a 9"x13" baking dish and arrange sliced French bread in 2 rows, overlapping the slices.

2. In a large bowl, combine eggs, half-and-half, milk, granulated sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with an electric mixer or whisk until blended. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all pieces are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Make sure to spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

3. The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

4. Spread topping evenly over the bread and bake for 35 minutes, until lightly golden brown. Serve with maple syrup.

TIP: It's also super delicious cold and topped with vanilla ice cream!