Baked Butter Pecan French Toast

Baked Butter Pecan French Toast

• 1 cup Brown Sugar, firmly packed
• 1/2 cup Butter or Margarine
• 2 tbsp Honey
• 1 cup Pecans (toasted), chopped
• 1 loaf French Bread (cut into 1/2-inch thick slices)
• 2 cups Ham, finely chopped
• 6 Eggs, large
• 1 2/3 cups Milk
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 tbsp Granulated Sugar
• 1 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
• Maple Syrup (if desired)

1. Take a saucepan and combine brown sugar, butter and honey in it.
2. Cook the ingredients over medium heat, stirring frequently, till sugar melts.
3. In an ungreased 13x9-inch baking dish, pour the honey mixture.
4. Sprinkle with pecans over the mixture and top with half of bread slices.
5. Sprinkle ham on the slices. Set aside.
6. In large bowl, combine eggs, milk and vanilla and beat until well mixed.
7. Take the remaining bread slices and dip them in egg mixture, on one side only.
8. Place the slices over ham, dipped-side down. Pour remaining egg mixture over bread slices.
9. In a small bowl, combine sugar and pumpkin pie spice.
10. Sprinkle the sugar-spice mix over the bread slices, cover the baking dish and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
11. Heat oven to 350°F. Put the dish in the oven and bake it, uncovered, for 50 to 55 minutes or until golden brown.
12. Take the dish out of the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes.
13. Cut the pecan toasts into pieces and serve with maple syrup, if desired.