Baked french toast with praline topping served with Carmel syrup. Also recipe for cinnamon raisin bread.

I made this for a graduation brunch for some wonderfully fun girls in my ward. I've promised to post it for weeks, but I just now am getting to it OOPS. It's decadent and a lil sinful. The praline topping is so rich and scrumptious. Add the Carmel syrup and you've got one amazing brunch dish. Kinda like a bread pudding desert, sounds like breakfast to me! Sorry no picture it was all gobbled up so fast.

I also included a recipe for Cinnamon raisin bread. Kneaders sells this but if you are a bargain shopper like me making your own comes out to around 75 cents! Yep and you can add as many raisins as you do or don't want. I'm boring but raisins just are not my thing!


Ingredients


1 loaf French bread (13 to 16 ounces) or cinnamon bread (can be purchased at Kneaders or make your own, recipe at bottom)

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, (recipe follows)

Carmel syrup (recipe follows)

Directions

Slice French bread into 20 slices, 1-inch each. (Use extra bread for garlic toast or bread crumbs). Arrange slices in a generously buttered/sprayed 9 by 13-inch flat baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices. 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. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread Praline Topping evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Serve with maple syrup or Carmel syrup.


Praline Topping:

1/4 pound (1 sticks) butter

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped pecans (omit if you want)

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well. Makes enough for Baked French Toast Casserole. Spread evenly and bake in oven. 350 degrees for 40 minutes until puffed and golden.



Kneader's Carmel Syrup

1 c. Brown sugar

1 c. Cream

1 c. Light Karo Syrup

Blend together and heat on stove top until sugar is smooth. Serve warm.

Cinnamon raisin bread

Ingredients


1 1/2 cups milk

1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast

3 eggs

1/2 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup margarine/butter, softened (I'm an all butter gal myself)

1 cup raisins (I do not like raisins so I don't use them, which is why I like to make my own bread)

2 tbs dough enhancer (dough enhancer gives you light fluffy bread, like the store)

8 cups all-purpose flour

For the filling

2 tablespoons milk

3/4 cup white sugar

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

Warm the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Let cool until lukewarm.

Dissolve yeast in warm water, and set aside until yeast is frothy. Mix in eggs, sugar, butter or margarine, salt, and raisins. Stir in cooled milk. Add the flour and dough enhancer gradually to make a stiff dough.

Knead dough on a lightly floured surface for a few minutes. Place in a large, greased, mixing bowl, and turn to grease the surface of the dough. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled.

Something I've also started doing with my bread is to let it sit in the fridge for 2 hours after the first rise. It really helps develop the texture and taste of the bread! So if you have time, cover it with plastic wrap and let it sit for a couple hours in the fridge!

Roll out on a lightly floured surface into a large rectangle 1/2 inch thick. Moisten dough with 2 tablespoons milk. Mix together 3/4 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons cinnamon, and sprinkle mixture on top of the moistened dough. Roll up tightly (think like cinnamon rolls); the roll should be about 3 inches in diameter.

Cut into thirds, and tuck under ends. Place loaves into well greased 9 x 5 inch pans. Let rise again for 1 hour.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, then place a piece of foil over the top. Don't worry about tucking the edges under or anything, you're just preventing the top from browning too much, so just lay it over the top. Bake an additional 30 minutes or until loaves are lightly browned and sound hollow when knocked. Remove loaves from pans, and brush with melted butter or margarine. Let cool before slicing.

Yields 3 loaves