Baked Pumpkin Cream Cheese French Toast

1. Butter a large baking dish (I use a 9 by 13 inch dish), making sure to thoroughly coat it.
2. Fill dish with bread cubes so that the dish is half full.
3. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, mix the cream cheese, butter, maple syrup and pumpkin puree. Mix on medium until all ingredients are blended well.
4. Spread the cream cheese filling on top of the bread cubes, making sure to reach the corners. Spread until the bread cubes are covered (depending on your dish size, you may not need all of the mixture).
5. In another bowl using your mixer, blend together the eggs, half-and-half and vanilla on medium speed until everything is mixed together. Carefully pour this mixture over the bread, pressing down a bit so that the dish is not much more than halfway full.
6. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
7. Take dish out of the refrigerator and allow it to sit at room temperature for about 10 to 15 minutes before baking. Meanwhile, set your oven to 350ºF.
8. Place dish in the oven and bake for 1 hour. At the 45-minute point, check to make sure it is not burning. If it is starting to get too brown, loosely place a sheet of foil over the dish to prevent further burning. Your French toast will be done when the center is raised and firm.
9. Remove from oven and allow it to sit for 5 to 10 minute before slicing (this helps the mixture set a little bit prior to serving). Serve and top with chopped pecans, cinnamon and syrup.

Notes:
1. I let the cream cheese and butter come to room temperature before using them. This will ensure they will blend together when mixing.
2. A couple days before making this dish, I buy a fresh loaf of bread and I cut it up while it’s fresh. Then I let the bread cubes get slightly stale before using. While this is not necessary, it helps the bread soak up the ingredients better.
3. For all of my gluten-free friends, I am currently gluten-free and I made a small portion of this with gluten-free bread and it tasted great! So do try it with your favorite gluten-free bread.