Bananas Foster French Toast Breakfast Casserole

Gather the ingredients.

To make the caramel syrup, combine the butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup in a small saucepan on low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the butter melts, the sugar dissolves, and the mixture starts to bubble, 3 to 5 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat. Add the vanilla and cinnamon, stirring until well combined. Pour the mixture into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish, spreading it evenly over the bottom of the dish.

Layer the sliced bananas on top of the caramel syrup. Drizzle the rum over the bananas, if using.

Arrange the cubed bread over the bananas in an even layer.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, granulated sugar, melted butter, vanilla, and salt until well beaten.

Pour the egg mixture over the bread cubes. Press down on the cubes to submerge them in the egg mixture.

Cover with foil and refrigerate for at least 5 hours, ideally overnight. When ready to bake, position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 375 °F. Let the casserole come to room temperature while the oven heats.

Bake, covered, until the egg mixture is cooked through and no longer loose, 45 to 60 minutes. For a crunchy top, remove the foil for the last 5 to 10 minutes of baking.

Remove the casserole from the oven and top it with additional caramel syrup (you can make it ahead of time or right after you take it out of the oven), additional sliced banana, and whipped cream. Alternatively, you can also flip the pan upside down onto a plate so that the caramelized bananas are displayed on top. Then top with additional bananas, whipped cream, and caramel syrup.