Baked French Toast

This is one of my favorite breakfasts. It was my favorite until I had a few of the things from the exchange. Like Brooke's Egg Bake, or Jayme's Crepes, or Audrey's scones... Way too much good stuff to choose from! This is prepared the night before so it's super nice to wake up, throw it in the oven, and go back to bed for another half hour. Admittedly, the apple topping takes more time than the Baked French Toast itself, but I've never made it without. The topping adds SOOO much more to the goodness. Trust me. Or be lazy and just put syrup on top. I'll never know. ;)

1/2 C butter

1 C brown sugar

2 tbsp maple syrup

1 loaf texas toast (bread sliced 1" thick){I've used regular sized bread in a pinch before and just put 3 layers instead of 2. Still incredible!}

5 eggs

1 1/2 C milk

1 tsp vanilla

Grease a 9x13" pan. Mix together melted butter, brown sugar and maple syrup. Pour into greased pan. Arrange bread slices into 2 layers on top of mixture. In a separate bowl, mix eggs, milk, and vanilla. Pour over bread slices, being careful to not miss any areas. Cover and refrigerate over night. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 30 minutes. Prepare apple topping while baking.

Topping:

4-5 green apples

3-4 tbsp butter

3-4 tbsp brown sugar

Core and slice apples. Saute in butter and brown sugar until soft. I like mine really soft, and if I start cutting the same time I put the toast in the oven, it's all done about the same time.

Spoon the apple topping over the baked french toast when it's done cooking. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Serve immediately.