Overnight French Toast

My friend recently celebrated her birthday on Monday so my friends and I decided to try out a recipe that we thought that she would enjoy. Originally the plans were to make the Banana French toast, but bananas are not her favorite fruit. So, we decided to try out a new recipe that was different. This is the perfect recipe for Fall and it is absolutely delicious. The flavors in this recipe are amazing. I hope you all enjoy it as much as my friends and I did. 

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup of butter, melted
• 3/4 brown sugar
• 1/2 loaf of Italian bread
• 6 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 cup of milk
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
• 1/8 tsp salt

OPTIONAL: maple syrup and powdered sugar for topping

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and melted butter and pour on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Arrange slices of bread in the baking dish, overlapping if necessary.
2. Combine milk, eggs, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, and ginger in a bowl and pour evenly over the bread slices. Sprinkle chopped pecans over the bread slices.
3. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 4-12 hours. 
4. In the morning, take the casserole out of the refrigerator and allow it to sit for 10 minutes while the oven preheats to 350 degrees.
5. Bake the casserole for 30-35 minutes. 
6. Remove the casserole from the oven and let it cool before serving. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and maple syrup if desired.