Baked Caramel-Banana French Toast

I first saw this recipe in an All You magazine. I can't remember where the magazine went, but I think I remembered most of how to make it. Doesn't matter. This turned out spectacular and I would make it again...and again.
Don't be afraid of the lengthy description, I just feel like yapping today, it's really not hard. My seven year old did most of the prep work so that shows how easy it must be, (or how incredibly talented he is), or both.
Anyway, keep in mind that you'll want to make this before you go to bed and cook it the next morning for breakfast.
Here goes...

What you'll need:A loaf of bread. I think the recipe called for Challa bread which a slightly sweet braided bread. They don't sell that at the suckish store that I shop at and I don't bake...so I was actually going to use regular bread and then I thought of King's Hawaiian and went to grab some of their dinner rolls. That's when I came across these babies!

King's Hawaiian Hot Dog Buns! Are you kidding me? (haha Can you tell I've had too much caffeine today?) These buns were actually perfect because of the way they were already cut. All I had to do was cut the bun in half again lengthwise and then cut into 3/4 inch squares. If you can't find anything, just use regular old bread. You'll be fine.
You'll also need a stick or 8 tbsp (or 1/2 cup) unsalted butter. As you can see in the ingredients pic, Land O Lakes came out with a new Cinnamon/Sugar butter. I used 4 tbsp of that and 4 tbsp of regular.
Heat that butter up in a pan and add about 3/4 to 1 cup dark brown sugar, packed. You can also add 2 tbsp. dark rum if you feel inclined to do so. I chose not to because a bottle of rum with 2 tbsp missing out of it would quickly turn into a bottle of rum with less then 2 tbsp left in it!
Moving on...

Stir over med/low until smooth, remove from heat, add 3 sliced bananas to the mixture. Stir to coat, set aside.

Add half of the bread squares to a 9x13 baking pan, pour banana mixture over the top evenly.

Top with remaining bread.

Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together 8 eggs, 2 cups 1/2 & 1/2, 1 tbsp vanilla, dash of salt. Pour mixture over the bread and use a large spoon to push down the bread into the egg mixture. You want to make sure that every piece of every bread is soaked...or at least moistened. Now, cover the pan with foil, put it in the fridge, and leave it alone until you are ready to make breakfast or brunch.
Here's what it will look like the next morning.

Take the pan out of the fridge and leave out at room temperature for about 15 minutes. Preheat the over to 350. Remove foil and bake until the bread is puffy and golden brown. About 40-60 minutes. You want to check the middle with a toothpick just like you would check a cake for doneness.

For some reason my pic makes it look burned but I assure you it is not burned. I really need a new camera.

Now you have this delicious dish almost like stuffed french toast.

Add some whipped cream to the top, but it's just as good without it.
Be careful, it's hot!