Sunday Brunch: How to Make Breakfast Strata without a Recipe · i am a food blog (2024)

Sunday Brunch: How to Make Breakfast Strata without a Recipe · i am a food blog (1)

Recently, I found a sad baguette lounging on the kitchen countertop. Mike hadpicked it up, with the optimism that we’d eat it,I don’t know, for breakfast or something? I think we had about a quarter of it one morning, with some soft scrambled eggs. We both promptly forgot about it, until I discovered it, oldand forgotten, left to languish without having fulfilled it’s life’s purpose.

I had to make something with it. It was my duty as a baguette eater! I was thinking bread pudding, but then upon finding mushrooms and dill in the fridge, set about making a breakfast strata. I must’ve asked Mike about a million times if the strata needed meat (is it really breakfast if there isn’t bacon or sausage?) but in the end, the mushrooms were more than meat-y enough and the dill added a nice light herb-y punch.

This is the best kind of recipe you can have in your back pocket, a not-recipe. I just followed this handy ratio:1 part milk + 1 part egg + 1 part cheese + 1 part add-ins (optional) + 2 parts bread and let my fridge run wild.I love how you can make this the night before and then just pop it in the oven while you’re leisurelydrinking pour overwhile having deep conversations…who am I kidding? This is what really happened: Mike and I had Nespresso (love the instantness of that thing) and shared our opinions ontrashy celebrity gossip (me) and world events (him).

Happy brunching!
xoxo eggs and bread, steph

Sunday Brunch: How to Make Breakfast Strata without a Recipe · i am a food blog (2)

Vegetable Breakfast Strata
serves 4-6


  • 1-2 tablespoons butter, plus extra for the pan
  • 2 king oyster mushrooms
  • 4 cups 1-inch bread cubes
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella, plus 1/2 cup to finish
  • 1 tablespoon freshly chopped dill
  • 2 cups milk
  • 6 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Notes: I used 3/4 of an old baguette, but you can use any kind of bread you like. I followed thisbasic ratio recipe:1 part milk + 1 part egg + 1 part cheese + 1 part add-ins (optional) + 2 parts bread that I found on Epicuriousand found it worked perfectly. This strata is custardy and creamy in the middle with bits of crispy, craggy bread on top.

Lightly butter an oven safe baking dish and set aside. You can use an 8×8 inch dish or several mini ones, it won’t affectthe baking time.

Slice one of the mushrooms (for the top of the strata) and dice other mushroom. In a sauté pan, heat up the butter over medium heat. Add the sliced mushrooms and stir to coat with butter. Cook, stirring and flipping occasionally, until the mushrooms are golden. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add more butter to the pan if needed and cooked the diced mushrooms until golden. Remove and set aside to cool completely.

In a large bowl, toss the bread cubes with 1 cup of cheese, the cooled mushrooms, and dill. Place in the prepared pan.

In a large liquid measuring cup (or medium bowl), whisk together the milk, eggs, dijon, salt and pepper. Pour over the strata and top with the remaining 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella. Wrap with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight so the bread can absorb the custard. Or, if you’re eating it right away, let it sit for 30 minutes so the bread can absorb the custard.

When you’re ready to eat, set the oven for 350°F. If you put the strata in the fridge, pull it out and let it come to room temperature for 30 minutes.

Bake the strata, uncovered, until puffy, golden brown, and cooked through, about 45 – 55 minutes. If the top starts browning too much, cover lightly with foil. Remove from the oven, let set for 5 minutes and enjoy!

It’s Sunday! You know what that means: it’s time for Sunday Brunch. Why don’t you skip the line and make brunch at home this week? The coffee’s truly bottomless, the booze doesn’t have a crazy markup and you can chill out in your pajamas. Every Sunday I’ll post a brunch recipe. Soon you won’t be asking, where should we go for brunch – instead it’ll be, what should we make for brunch today?

Sunday Brunch: How to Make Breakfast Strata without a Recipe · i am a food blog (3)

6 Comments

  1. April 9, 2017 at 5:41 am

    Very nice post, my wife will love this. Great pictures too!

    Rick

    Reply

  2. April 9, 2017 at 10:03 am

    This looks so good! – such a clever way to use up the bread!
    Izzy | Pinch of delight

    Reply

  3. April 11, 2017 at 6:38 am

    Great ideas! I loved that you used left over bread.

    Reply

  4. April 11, 2017 at 4:20 pm

    This is a great idea. I love how it’s no fuss, just use things that you have on hand, not having to think too hard in the morning suits me perfectly.

    Reply

  5. Alana says:

    April 26, 2017 at 10:32 am

    oooh i just love this post. it’s so light and bright and happy looking. and your strata came out so good!!!

    Reply

  6. Rebecca says:

    January 10, 2021 at 7:49 pm

    I choose how many eggs I want, measure that and use that amount as 1 part, then use the same amount of cheese, add-ins, milk, and twice as much bread.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Sunday Brunch: How to Make Breakfast Strata without a Recipe · i am a food blog (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between a breakfast casserole and a strata? ›

Strata is otherwise known as “the breakfast casserole that your overnight guests will think you toiled away on all morning when in reality, you simply whipped it up the night before and just popped in the oven.” “Strata” is much shorter. Stratas are egg casseroles made with bread—lots of it.

Do you have to refrigerate strata overnight? ›

The casserole is covered and refrigerated overnight to allow the liquid ingredients to be absorbed into the bread. This is a perishable mixture and should be cooked the morning or day after assembly.

Can you make a strata 2 days ahead? ›

Fresh from the oven, this strata top has crispy, crunchy bits while the middle is warm, soft, and custard-like, providing a fantastic texture. Pro-Tip: The strata can be prepared and baked up to two days in advance and reheated the morning of.

How long can strata soak? ›

Success Tip: Start Breakfast Strata Overnight

It's common to prep the casserole the night before so the eggs soak into the bread. If you can't do overnight, as short as 1 hour works in a pinch.

What are the three types of strata? ›

Strata properties fall into one of three main categories: residential, commercial or mixed use. Each has its own rules and considerations.

Is strata like quiche? ›

A quiche is baked in a flaky pie crust-style pastry shell. An egg custard prepared without this crust is also known as a frittata. A strata, on the other hand, is an egg custard that's baked with layers of bread inside.

How long can you refrigerate a breakfast casserole before baking? ›

Success Tip: Refrigerate Overnight

At this point, you can either bake it right away or refrigerate the casserole overnight and for up to 24 hours. During this time, the flavors mingle together and the bread has a chance to soak up some of the liquid and flavor.

How do you reheat breakfast strata? ›

Cool to room temperature. Wrap tightly with foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, then reheat in a 375 F oven for 30 minutes the next morning until the casserole is browned and heated through.

Can you freeze uncooked strata? ›

Unfortunately as the strata contains what is effectively a savoury egg custard it does not freeze well either before or after baking. However you could probably assemble it up to 48 hours before it is needed, if this helps with your planning a little.

Can you leave raw egg mixture in the fridge? ›

If you've got raw egg yolks or whites left over from a recipe which you don't want to waste (let's face it, why would you?), you can store them in the fridge as long as you plan to use them within the next few days.

Can you make a casserole with raw eggs ahead of time? ›

Can You Make Egg Casserole Ahead of Time? This easy egg casserole is the perfect make-ahead breakfast. Simply combine the ingredients the night before and place the mixture in a prepared baking dish, then cover it tightly with storage wrap or foil. In the morning, bake the casserole according to the recipe.

Should I bake breakfast casserole before I freeze it? ›

If the casserole has raw protein (meat, poultry, seafood), you should cook it thoroughly before freezing. Line the baking dish with enough aluminum foil so that there is an overhang on all sides. After cooking, let the hot casserole cool a bit, then carefully remove it from the pan by lifting the foil on both sides.

What is the difference between strata and breakfast casserole? ›

What's the difference between strata and casserole? Stratas are essentially breakfast casseroles made of eggs and bread. Stratas are often prepared the night before they are baked and served in oven-safe casserole dishes, similar to casseroles.

What to serve with a breakfast casserole? ›

But I often get asked by my readers what to serve alongside breakfast casserole. You could always keep it simple and pair a breakfast casserole with something simple like crispy bacon, turkey sausage, some other breakfast meat, hash browns, or fresh fruit.

Can egg bake sit out overnight? ›

How Long Can an Egg Casserole Sit Out? Once again, according to the handy FDA guide, the easy overnight breakfast casserole should not sit out after baking for more than 2 hours.

What does strata mean in food? ›

Stratas are essentially breakfast casseroles made of eggs and bread. Stratas are often prepared the night before they are baked and served in oven-safe casserole dishes, similar to casseroles. Stratas are the perfect example of the endless possibilities of casserole dishes and flavours.

What is the difference between a quiche and a breakfast casserole? ›

Egg Casserole

They are heartier than a quiche, leaning more towards a strata in texture. If you are dairy-free, you can use almond, cashew, coconut, hemp, rice, soy milk, or any other non-dairy milk you prefer.

Why is it called strata? ›

The word "strata" refers to apartments being on different levels. Strata title was first introduced in 1961 in the state of New South Wales, Australia, to better cope with the legal ownership of apartment blocks.

What's the difference between a breakfast casserole and a frittata? ›

As for the cooking process, frittata is made by briefly cooking an egg-based custard in a cast-iron pan on the stove, then baking it for a short time in the oven. Meanwhile, the egg custard in a breakfast casserole is poured over layers of other ingredients in a deep baking dish before going into the oven.

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