Not your everyday breakfast

This praline french toast casserole makes a delicious breakfast for special occasions. I adapted the recipe from one by Paula Deen. I cut the butter in half and used whole milk instead of half-and-half. I'm sure the original was....to die for. My version is still plenty decadent, and my family loved it. This is a make-ahead dish. It's extremely easy to throw together, but plan for a long bake time. Enjoy!

THE RECIPE:

1 16 oz. loaf french bread*
8 eggs
3 c. whole milk
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt

Topping:

1/2 c. butter
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. chopped pecans
2 Tbsp. corn syrup
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

The night before serving, rip french bread into chunks and place in greased, deep 9x13 baking dish. Whisk together casserole ingredients and pour evenly over bread. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight. Combine topping ingredients thoroughly with fork, then cover and set aside for later use. No need to refrigerate. (Or just make the topping in the morning.)

The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place casserole, still covered, in oven for 20 minutes. Remove foil and plop small blobs of topping all over the casserole. It's easiest to just use your fingers. Bake, uncovered this time, for 55 minutes more, or until a knife inserted in the middle of a bread portion of the casserole comes out clean. (Paula Deen listed a total of 40 minutes baking time, which was completely off for me. I live at a high altitude, though, so you might want to keep an eye on your dish.)


*I like to rip up my bread a couple of hours before assembling the casserole and leave it on the counter to dry out. Dried out bread often has better absorption. Paula Deen didn't do this, though, so it might not be necessary.