Thanksgiving morning strata

One of my traditions on Thanksgiving is to make a strata for breakfast. It's drop-dead easy, it's pretty quick, it feeds a crowd, and it's infinitely customizable once you have the basics in place. 

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

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Spray 15x10 or 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray. Arrange the bread in the dish to form a single layer. 
3. Crack eggs into large bowl. Add milk and mix thoroughly. Pour half the egg mixture gently over bread until completely covered.
4. If adding any meats or vegetables, cook them appropriately, dice them, and arrange them in a shallow layer on top of the bread. 
5. Pour the rest of the egg mixture over bread and add-ins. 
6. Sprinkle or arrange cheese on top of the egg mixture. 
7.  Cover pan tightly with foil and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 20 minutes.
8. Remove pan from oven. 
9.  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.