Honey Bun French Toast

6 eggs
2 cups fat-free half and half
2 t vanilla
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 cup chopped pecans
12 slices loaf bread (white or whole wheat)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk

In a medium sized bowl beat together eggs, half and half, vanilla and sugar; set aside. Mix together in a small bowl brown sugar and cinnamon. Spray a 9 X 17-inch baking dish with vegetable spray and place 6 slices of bread in bottom of casserole dish. Sprinkle with half of brown sugar mixture and top with half of pecans. Pour half of egg batter mixture over bread, pressing liquid into bread slices. Place remaining bread slices on top and repeat layers. Press liquid into bread slices to make sure all edges are covered. Refrigerate overnight. Bake in a 350 F oven for 40-45 minutes or until French Toast is puffy. In a small bowl combine powdered sugar and milk; using a wire whisk beat until smooth. Drizzle glaze randomly over top of toast. Yield: 6 servings.

Why make this dish?
This strata recipes takes the flavor (and brown sugar-cinnamon scent!) of the honey buns and incorporates them into a French toast meal. This quick-to-fix favorite will look like you spent hours in the kitchen preparing. And, the best part is that you can assemble the casserole the night before and simply pop it in the oven in the morning…..Incredible!