French Toast Casserole Recipe

Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Coat a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with butter. Shingle bread slices (i.e., overlap them slightly) in the dish and sprinkle raisins on top. Whisk together eggs, cream, sugar, vanilla, zest, and cinnamon in a medium bowl until evenly combined. Pour mixture over bread and let soak for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, mix together maple syrup and butter in a medium bowl until combined. Stir in pecans and spoon mixture evenly over casserole. Place in the oven and bake until custard is set and puffed, and toast is browned, about 40 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.