Baked French Toast Casserole with Maple Syrup and Praline Topping

OH. MY. GOODNESS. This was amazing. My husband's favorite food is french toast and said this is one of the best he has ever tried. I adjusted the recipe slightly based on some reviews I read. It is super easy to make and amazingly decadent! I highly recommend this!

Ingredients
1 loaf French bread (13 to 16 ounces)
8 large eggs
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Dash salt
Praline Topping (below)
Maple syrup

Praline Topping:
1 stick of butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions:
Slice French bread into 20 slices, 1-inch each.  Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9 by 13-inch flat baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices at an angle. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. After a couple of hours, flip the bread slices over so the mixture saturates both sides of the bread (or flip that night and again before baking). Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.


Directions for topping: Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well. 

Spread Praline Topping evenly over the bread and bake for 60 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Serve with maple syrup.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/baked-french-toast-casserole-with-maple-syrup-recipe2/index.html
Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen