Ingredients
- Baked French Toast with Praline Topping
- Use stale French bread (not a baguette) or dry bread cubes out in a 320 degree oven for 10 minutes. You can also leave the bread cubes out overnight uncovered on a baking tray. Stale bread draws up the custard mixture better than fresh bread.
- Serves 6-8
- 1 stale loaf French bread or soft rolls (13 to 16 ounces), cut into 1-inch pieces
- 8 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 cups half-and-half
- 1 cup milk
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Praline Topping:
- 1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chopped toasted pecans
- Maple syrup
Instructions
Spray oil in a 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle bread cubes in baking dish.
In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended. Pour mixture over the bread and press down lightly to make sure all the bread is covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture.
Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a bowl, add all ingredients except the pecans for praline topping and use a hand held mixer and blend well. Add pecans and mix until blended.
Drop large spoonful’s of butter over the bread and use your fingers to spread it evenly over the top. Bake for 45 - 50 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden and when you place a knife in the center, it is does not have wet or dripping egg batter.
Serve with maple syrup.
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