At its most fundamental, a strata is simply a combination of bread, eggs, and cheese. I generally use brioche, Hawaiian sweet bread, or French bread, but whatever bread/croissants/rolls/etc. you have will work. I slice mine to form a single layer, but you could also dice or tear the bread up and it would be more bread pudding-y. Mix eggs with a bit of milk and pour over the bread, then top with cheese and bake until the eggs are done. I generally use cheddar but again you can use whatever cheese you prefer.
Add-ins: The list is endless. Depending on my pantry and my mood I've added ham, bacon, sausage, bell peppers, hot peppers, mushrooms, onions, asparagus, herbs, hot sauce - really whatever you want.
Here's Epicurious' take on how to make breakfast strata without a recipe, though this is more involved than what I typically do.
And here's my normal recipe.
Ingredients:
- 6 slices of sandwich bread or about a half loaf of French bread or brioche, sliced/torn
- 18 large eggs; if using 13x9 pan, might only need 12 eggs.
- 1/2 cup milk
- 8 oz shredded or sliced cheese - Cheddar, Monterey Jack, and Swiss are all good choices
- Any add-on meats or vegetables you want
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Spray 15x10 or 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray. Arrange the bread in the dish to form a single layer.
- Crack eggs into large bowl. Add milk and mix thoroughly. Pour half the egg mixture gently over bread until completely covered.
- If adding any meats or vegetables, cook them appropriately, dice them, and arrange them in a shallow layer on top of the bread.
- Pour the rest of the egg mixture over bread and add-ins.
- Sprinkle or arrange cheese on top of the egg mixture.
- Cover pan tightly with foil and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove pan from oven.
- Remove the foil and bake for an additional 15-25 minutes or until the center is set. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes, then serve.
