Baked French Toast

This is absolutely delicious for breakfast, but it could actually be served as a dessert also (a most delicious bread pudding), topped with whipped cream instead of maple syrup.

Serve this dish for breakfast on the day you make it (but small servings would be good if you are trying to watch your carb intake). Freeze whatever is leftover as follows: Cut cooled French toast into serving size pieces, wrap in fold-over sandwich bags and place those in a one gallon zipper baggie. Seal and store in the freezer. To serve hot, wrap in aluminum foil and warm in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes.

French Toast
8 - 10 slices sprouted whole grain bread (sandwich slices)
8 large eggs
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup whole milk (not homogenized)
2 tablespoons palm sugar or maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 dash salt
Maple syrup

Praline Topping
1 cup butter
3/4 cup palm sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons pure organic maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions: Slice bread into 1-inch squares. Arrange pieces in a generously buttered 9 by 13-inch baking dish overlapping pieces as needed. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, palm sugar or maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended but not frothy. Pour mixture over the bread, making sure all is covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Following morning: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Make praline topping and spread evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Serve with maple syrup. Makes 8 servings.