Step 1

Butter a 9 x 13 baking dish. Tear the French bread into about 1-inch pieces and place it in the buttered baking dish and set it aside.

Step 2

Add the half and half, eggs, sugars, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt to a large mixing bowl and whisk together until well combined. Pour the custard over the bread, making sure all the bread gets covered.

Step 3

Gently press the bread into the custard with a wooden spoon so that there are no dry spots, wrap the baking dish in plastic wrap, and refrigerate the bread pudding for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Step 4

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Take the bread pudding out of the refrigerator and sit it on the counter while the oven preheats.

Step 5

Once the oven is hot, remove the plastic wrap from the baking dish and place the bread pudding in the preheated oven. Bake the bread pudding for 50 to 60 minutes, or until golden brown on top and set in the center.

Step 6

While the bread pudding is baking, make the maple praline sauce by combining butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, and heavy cream in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.

Step 7

Bring the sauce to a boil while stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Once the sauce reaches a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 7-9 minutes, or until the sauce is smooth and coats the back of the spoon, stirring regularly.

Step 8

Stir in the pecans, vanilla extract, and salt and continue to cook for another 1-2 minutes. Remove the sauce from heat.

Step 9

Serve bread pudding warm with maple praline sauce spooned over top.