Praline French Toast Casserole

Praline French Toast Casserole 1 - 16 oz loaf french bread, french baguette, challah, or brioche bread, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes (day old is best) 1/2 - cup (1 stick) butter, melted 1 - cup light brown sugar 2 - cups milk 5 - eggs, lightly beaten 1 - teaspoon cinnamon 2 - teaspoons vanilla extract 2 - tablespoon real maple syrup Cut the french bread into 1 1/2 inch slices and then cut into 1 inch cubes; set aside. In a microwave safe dish melt the butter in the microwave. Add the brown sugar and mix to combine. Spread the brown sugar mixture on the bottom of a 13 x 9 inch or similar pan. In a separate bowl, add milk, eggs, cinnamon, and vanilla extract; mix together until blended. Add a layer of cubed bread over the brown sugar mixture. Spoon half of the egg and milk mixture over the bread. Add the rest of the cubed bread and the remaining egg and milk mixture. Cover the casserole dish with foil and refrigerate overnight. In the morning remove casserole from the refrigerator and remove the foil. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the french toast casserole for 35-40 minutes until the casserole is bubbly and set. Remove from oven and drizzle maple syrup over the top of the french toast casserole. Place the dish back into the oven and place under the oven broiler. Broil the topping just until it starts to caramelize just a bit (1-2 minutes). Watch the casserole closely because it only takes a couple minutes. Remove from oven, cool and cut into serving size pieces. Cook's Note: Also keep in mind the drier the bread the better it is hold up and soak in all the custard batter. Day old bread works the best, but what I like to do is cut the bread into 1 1/2 inch slices and lay them on a baking rack to dry for a couple hours before cutting into cubes and assembling the casserole. Another option is to add the bread cubes into a large bowl, pour the egg & milk mixture over the bread, and toss before adding the bread cubes over the praline bottom. I think this would be a lot easier as well as ensuring all the bread cubes get saturated.