Averie Cooks

For the French toast:
-1 In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter, about 1 minute. I prefer to brown the butter by heating for about 3 minutes on high power until the crackling and popping has subsided, the butter browned and nutty-smelling; being careful not to burn it browning butter tips here. Allow the butter to cool momentarily so you don't scramble the eggs.
-1 Add all remaining ingredients to the butter, except for the bread, and whisk until smooth and combined.
-1 Add the bread cubes and toss gently to coak.
-1 Cover with plastic wrap and place bowl in the refrigerator overnight, or at least 2 hours so the bread has time to absorb the marinade.
-1 Before baking, preheat oven to 350F and line a 9-by-9-inch pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.
-1 Transfer bread into baking pan, leaving it fairly loosely piled in the baking pan. Watch any bread corners that are jetting up much higher than the rest of the pieces as they will have a tendency to burn more easily so I push any of them down with a spatula so all pieces are roughly the same height. Scrape out any marinade in the bottom of the bowl and pour that over the bread.
-1 Bake for about 30 to 38 minutes, or until golden and browned, the marinade has dried out some, taking care not to overbake as you want this moist and coating does not have to be bone dry on all piece.
-1 Serve immediately with a pat of butter, warm maple syrup, a dusting of confectioners' sugar, or vanilla maple butter.
For the Vanilla Maple Butter
-1 In a medium microwave-safe bow, melt the butter, about 1 minute on high power; or brown it by heating for about 3 minutes.
-1 To the melted butter, add the maple syrup, and whisk vigorously until combined.
-1 Heat for about 30 seconds to warm the mixture and add the vanilla and whisk to combine.
-1 Pour over French Toast.