Maple French Toast Breakfast Sandwich

1. Place a cooling rack inside a baking sheet in the oven, and preheat the oven to 250°F.

2. In a shallow bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon of the maple syrup and salt. Set aside.

3. In a medium skillet (or a skillet large enough to fit two slices of bread), melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium-high heat. Dip each slice of bread into the milk mixture, turning to coat. Transfer to the skillet, and cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes on each side. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet in the oven to keep warm while you cook the bacon and eggs.

4. Return the skillet to medium heat and cook the bacon until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate. Wipe the skillet with a paper towel to remove any excess fat and burnt bacon bits if necessary.

5. Reduce the heat to medium-low and melt the remaining ½ tablespoon butter. Add the remaining egg to the skillet, and stir constantly to scramble. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and top with the cheese. Place a lid on top to melt the cheese, if desired.

6. To assemble the sandwich, remove the French toast from the oven and top one slice with the egg and bacon, followed by the second piece of French toast. Serve with maple syrup for dipping.