Alli's Baked French Toast with lemon curd

Baked French Toast 

serves 8

For the French Toast: 
Butter, for greasing
1 loaf crusty sourdough or French bread
8  whole eggs
2 c. whole milk

1/2 c.  heavy cream

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. brown sugar

2 tbsp.  vanilla extract

1/2t salt ( I added, it was not from original recipe)

For the Topping:
1/2 c.  flour
1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp.  cinnamon
1/4 tsp.  salt
Freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
1  stick cold butter, cut into pieces
Warm syrup, for serving
Butter, for serving
1 c. 
fresh blueberries, for serving

You assemble it the night before and let it sit and get even more luscious in the fridge overnight

1. For the French toast: Grease the baking pan with butter. Tear the bread into chunks, or cut into cubes, and evenly distribute in the pan. Crack the eggs in a big bowl. Whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla. Pour evenly over the bread. Cover the pan tightly and store in the fridge until needed (overnight preferably). Or you can make it and bake it right away---delicious no matter what!
2. For the topping: Mix the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and some nutmeg in a separate bowl. Stir together using a fork. Add the butter and use a pastry cutter to mix it all together until the mixture resembles fine pebbles. Store in a plastic bag in the fridge.
3. When you're ready to bake the casserole, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the casserole from the fridge and sprinkle the topping over the top. Bake for 45 minutes for a softer, more bread pudding texture or for 1 hour-plus or more for a firmer, crisper texture.
4. Scoop out individual portions. Top with butter, drizzle with warm pancake syrup, and sprinkle with blueberries.

Some comments from readers-

Caramelized some bananas and brown sugar

doubled the cinnamon

generally double the topping because people always ask for more of it

fried apples

12/22/21 made it in the morning and didn't have it soak overnight. Turned out delicious. I had 3 different types of leftover breads and they all tasted and worked out well together. I mixed half plain yogurt and half whipped topping for one of the toppings and frozen blue berries

Can add Lemon curd (pudding) to the top of the cooked French toast- makes one cup

Lemon Curd

Dbl    Original Recipe
1c        1/2 c. 

granulated sugar

1/2c    5 tbsp. 

unsalted butter, diced

1/2c     1/4 c. 

fresh lemon juice (from 3 lemons)

6          3 

large eggs + 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten

1/2t      1/4 tsp. 

kosher salt

Combine the sugar, butter and lemon juice in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook just until the butter melts. Whisk in the eggs. Cook, stirring frequently with a rubber spatula, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon, 6-8 minutes. Do not let the mixture bubble. Pour then press through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl. Press plastic wrap over top and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until set, about 2 hours.