In a large bowl whisk together the milk, heavy cream, sugar, eggs and corn syrup until well combined.

Cut the bread into cubes and add them to the milk mixture. Stir until fully coated. Let the bread soak in the refrigerator for up to two days for max flavor.

Preheat oven to 375 with the oven rack in middle position. Butter a 9 x 13 baking dish and pour in the bread mixture. Sprinkle with the brown sugar crumble.

*Bake for 35 – 40 minutes or until the bread pudding is golden brown and bubbling. Let cool slightly. (I put this in the oven while we ere eating dinner.)

Brown Sugar Praline Crumble:

Preheat the oven to 300. Scatter 2 c of pecans on a baking sheet. (This is for the crumble and the caramel sauce.) Bake for 5 -7 minutes or until you can smell the pecans. Cool completely. (As an aside: feel free to toast a lot of pecans. They will always get eaten.)

Once the pecans are toasted, chop them finely. Reserve 1 c for the caramel topping. Combine the other cup with the brown sugar and melted butter and mix until the mixture resembles a crumble topping. Reserve until bread pudding is ready to go into oven.

Pecan Caramel:

In a medium sauce pan, combine the brown sugar and dark corn syrup. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, whisking until the sugar is dissolved. Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the butter 1 tablespoon at a time. Stir the pecans into the caramel and cover to keep warm. Mixture can also be placed in a large measuring cup and reheated in the microwave on low power until warm.

To assemble: Scoop pudding onto a bowl or plate and serve with whipped cream or ice cream of your choice.