Averie Cooks

0 Preheat oven to 350F. Spray 8 of the 12 cavities of a Non-Stick 12-Cup Regular Muffin Pan (note you will not use all 12) very, very well with cooking spray or grease and flour the pan; set aside. (I don’t prefer the cosmetic look of muffin liners and in this recipe, I think the bread would stick.)
1 To a large bowl, add the first 6 ingredients, through vanilla, and whisk to combine.
2 Add the bread and gently toss with a spoon to coat evenly. Allow bread to rest in bowl for 3 to 5 minutes, or until most/all of the batter has soaked into the bread.
3 Evenly distribute bread (and any un-absorbed batter can be drizzled evenly) among 8 cavities in prepared pan by loosely laying it in, without packing down. Each cavity should be about 3/4-full. The bread puffs quite a bit while baking, but deflates upon cooling. Pieces should all lay fairly flat in each cavity because any pieces that are jutting up will be prone to burning.
4 Bake for about 25 minutes or until tops are lightly golden brown, the coating mixture is set, and bread looks fairly dry (no wet batter); use your judgment when evaluating doneness because type of bread used, muffin pans, ovens, and climates vary. Start watching closely at 20 minutes.
5 Allow French toast to cool for about 10-15 minutes in muffin pan on top of a wire rack before gently rimming each cavity with a knife if necessary, dislodging, and serving with syrup.