| Ingredients | Step |
|---|---|
| 2k cups of bread | Scantly fill a lidded baking dish with cubes of stale bread (you'll add more volume, and it'll rise more when baked). Measure the volume of the bread (it's probably 4-6 cups), and cut that number in half. We'll call half the volume of bread "k". |
| If you're going to make the strata the night before, first dry out the bread cubes by baking them at 250 degrees for 5-10 minutes, just until they start to brown. | |
| k cups of eggs (~4-5 eggs per cup) k cups of milk seasoning |
Beat eggs. Add the seasoning (e.g., salt and pepper, mustard, hot sauce, paprika, nutmeg, herbs, lemon zest) and mix well. Add milk and mix well. Set the egg mixture aside. |
| k cups of cheese (some reserved for topping) k cups of extras |
Butter the dish. Combine the cheese and extras with your bread in the buttered dish, layering or mixing together. |
| reserved cheese | Pour the egg and milk mixture on top of the bread base. Press down to make sure all bread cubes have been submerged. Top the strata with reserved cheese. Cover and let it rest at least 30 minutes, and potentially overnight in the fridge. |
| When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the strata covered (until it rises too high), uncovering it only for the last 15-30 minutes to brown the top. Bake until the eggs reach 160 degrees. (Depending on how cold your ingredients are, baking may take ~30-60 minutes.) |
Source: Anna Stockwell (epicurious.com)