![]() If you're not going to bake it right away (and you crisped up your bread pieces in the oven), cover it with foil and store it in the fridge overnight, then let it sit on the counter at least half an hour before baking so it's not so chilled. Top it all off with your reserved cheese, and let the unbaked strata sit on the counter at least half an hour while you preheat your oven to 350☏. Press the bread down with your hands to make sure it's covered in liquid. Pour the milk and egg mixture over the top over the mix of bread, cheese, and add-ins. ![]() Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell 6. Mix your cooled add-ins into the bread and cheese mixture. I'm also always into the combo of fried mushrooms, tomatoes, and bacon with fontina cheese, red chili flakes, and fresh thyme. Right now I love the combo of cheddar cheese, ham, and scallions with a good dose of dijon mustard in the liquid base. Or how about some sautéed cherry tomatoes and/or mushrooms? You're in charge. Fry up some sliced bacon or some sausage pieces, or cut up a ham steak. Only rule here is that unless it's a tender fresh thing like scallions or asparagus, the add-ins should be cooked and cooled completely before added to the strata. If you want your strata to have more going on in it than eggs and cheese (you might not), you can add up to equal parts add-ins as cheese. When you've picked and measured a cheese, toss it with the bread in the pan, leaving a handful behind to scatter on top before baking. You can also add some crumbled fresh goat or blue cheese or grated Parm or sliced Brie for flavor-just make sure to pair it with a mild meltable cheese like Monterey Jack or mozzarella for the best strata texture. Any meltable cheese will work here: Monterey Jack, mozzarella, cheddar, fontina or gruyère. So if you used two cups each of milk and eggs, use about two cups of shredded cheese. If you want a little less cheese (who are you?!) you can use a bit less. You need some cheese in there to get everything cheesy and delicious, right? Your strata can hold up to equal parts cheese as milk and eggs. Use About the Same Volume of Shredded Cheese as Milk Serve at once.Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell 4. Using your fingers, scatter the crumb mixture over the top of the soaked bread cubes. In a small bowl, toss the cracker crumbs with the melted butter. Remove the baking dish from the fridge and discard the plastic wrap. When ready to bake, heat the oven to 350 degrees. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Pour the egg mixture over the bread cubes and press down to submerge them in the liquid. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, mustard and cayenne, if desired. Top with the ham, if desired, followed by the cheeses and the onion and pepper mixture. Scatter half of the bread cubes in the baking dish. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables soften, about 4 minutes. Add the onion and bell pepper, and reduce the heat to medium. ![]() Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly grease a 9- by 13-inch baking dish with nonstick oil spray. Total Time: 9 hours and 30 minutes Ingredientsġ0 slices soft Italian-style bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 4 cups)ġ cup (4 ounces) finely minced ham, if desiredġ cup crushed Ritz or buttery round crackers (about 16 crackers)Ĥ tablespoons unsalted butter, melted Instructions The next morning, simply preheat the oven, uncover the casserole, scatter buttered cracker crumbs on top of the casserole, and bake. And then cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Use your favorite combination of cheeses. But if you don’t have it, you can use skim or reduced-fat milk and add a splash of heavy cream. As for the milk, use whole milk for a creamier casserole. The best bread to use is anything soft and spongy. Cut off the crust for a softer consistency, or leave some crust on for texture. Anything you add to the casserole outside of the eggs, milk and bread is flavoring and color. The bread is the binder, and the eggs provide the boost to help the casserole rise. This recipe works because the eggs and milk mixture soak well into the bread overnight. And then it will slightly fall, but nevertheless, be just as delicious. Get everyone to the table, because in about an hour the strata will puff up, turn golden-brown and look fabulously important. It is sitting there all prepped in the fridge, and all you have to do on Christmas or New Year’s morning is just pop it in the oven. The real upside to this recipe is that it is money in the bank.
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