Place rack in center of oven then preheat to 350 degrees. Coat muffin tin generously with cooking spray then set aside. Cut entire loaf of French bread into 1" cubes then set aside. If possible, cut the bread several hours ahead of time so it can dry out a bit.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon and salt until the mixture is completely incorporated and no streaks of egg remain. Add bread cubes then toss gently in egg mixture to moisten each bread cube. Allow a few seconds for the bread to absorb the egg mixture, occasionally folding the wet bread on the bottom of the bowl to the top, letting the egg soak in once again.

Using a large serving spoon, scoop 1 cup of bread mixture (be sure to take the very wet bread from the bottom of the bowl) and place it into each cup of the prepared muffin tin. Once the cups have been filled with an equal amount of the mixture, arrange bread cubes on top of each muffin to resemble a nicely domed muffin top.

Bake 22–25 minutes then remove muffins from the oven. Brush with melted butter then return muffins to the oven for an extra 2 minutes—or until tops are golden brown. Let muffins cool for 5 minutes before removing them from pan. Serve with additional maple syrup, if desired. Enjoy!