Chef notes
Why spend precious time in the morning flipping individual slices of French toast on the griddle? This baked French toast casserole can be made ahead and requires very little hands-on work. Not to mention it tastes just as delicious and comforting as traditional French toast. This baked French toast is reminiscent of a custardy bread pudding. Thick slices of rich challah bread are soaked in a mixture of sweetened eggs, milk and heavy cream before being baked and drizzled with a saucy and boozy banana mixture.
One of the best parts of opting for a casserole-style French toast is that it can (and should!) be made ahead. Ideally, you want to assemble this dish the night before you plan to bake it. Allowing the bread to sit in the egg mixture overnight is what will ultimately give the French toast its soft, custard-like texture, so make sure each slice of challah is submerged in the liquid as it soaks.
The morning of, you can pop the French toast in the oven while you prepare the bananas foster sauce. Start by cooking thick slices of banana in butter until they are evenly caramelized. From there, toss the bananas in a sweet, sticky rum-infused caramel sauce. Whether you’re baking for a casual breakfast or hosting brunch, everyone will go crazy for the flambé moment when the rum goes up in flames. Don’t worry about a little fire — while the rum will catch fire quickly, it will die down just as fast.
Dining and Cooking