Equipment
* optional
Ingredients
Casserole Base
- 300 g sourdough bread, day-old, cut into 2 cm cubes
- 350 g thick-cut bacon, cut into 1 cm lardons
- 225 g sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely grated
- 4 scallions, thinly sliced
Custard
- 8 large eggs, room temperature
- 360 ml whole milk
- 120 ml heavy cream
- 15 g dijon mustard
- 4 g fine sea salt
- 2 g ground black pepper
- 1 g smoked paprika
Pan Preparation
- 15 g unsalted butter, softened
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 456 kcal
- Protein
- 24 g
- Carbohydrates
- 24 g
- Fat
- 29 g
- Sugar
- 5 g
- Saturated Fat
- 14 g
- Zinc
- 2.8 mg
- Vitamin A
- 274 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 1 mg
- Water
- 119 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Coat the bottom and sides of a 9x13-inch baking dish thoroughly with softened unsalted butter using a pastry brush.
Place the chopped thick-cut bacon in a skillet over medium heat and fry for 8 to 10 minutes until deep golden brown and crisp.
Transfer the crisp bacon with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess grease.
Scatter half of the cubed sourdough bread, half of the drained bacon, half of the sliced scallions, and half of the grated sharp cheddar cheese across the prepared 9x13-inch baking dish, then repeat with the remaining halves to form an even second layer.
Whisk the large eggs, whole milk, heavy cream, dijon mustard, fine sea salt, ground black pepper, and smoked paprika together in a large mixing bowl with a whisk until uniform and lightly aerated.
Pour the custard mixture evenly over the bread, bacon, and cheese in the 9x13-inch baking dish, gently pressing down any protruding bread cubes with the back of a slotted spoon so all bread absorbs the liquid.
Cover the 9x13-inch baking dish tightly with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 8 hours to soak.
Remove the 9x13-inch baking dish from the refrigerator, discard the plastic wrap, and rest at room temperature while preheating the oven to 175°C (350°F).
Bake uncovered on the center rack of the oven at 175°C (350°F) for 40 to 45 minutes until puffed and golden brown, and an instant-read digital food thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the center registers at least 71°C (160°F).
Transfer the 9x13-inch baking dish to a wire cooling rack and rest for 10 minutes before slicing into eight equal portions and serving.
Chef's Notes
- Opt for crusty artisan sourdough or dense challah rather than standard sandwich bread; open, resilient crumbs absorb custard via capillary action without dissolving into paste.
- Always grate cheddar from a solid block. Pre-packaged shredded cheeses contain cellulose and potato starch anti-caking coatings that hinder emulsification and produce an oily sheen.
- The 8-hour overnight refrigeration is critical. It allows egg and dairy proteins to fully saturate the bread matrix, resulting in a cohesive souffle-like rise rather than a scrambled egg layer topped with dry croutons.
- Confirm food safety using an instant-read probe thermometer in the geometric center of the dish; egg mixtures must reach a minimum internal temperature of 71°C (160°F) to ensure complete protein coagulation and pathogen destruction.
Storage
Refrigerator: 4 days — Cool leftovers to room temperature within two hours, then store in an airtight container or seal the baking dish tightly with foil.
Freezer: 2 months — Slice baked and chilled casserole into squares, wrap each portion tightly in parchment paper and aluminum foil, and store in a heavy-duty freezer bag.
Reheating: Reheat refrigerated portions in an oven preheated to 175°C (350°F) for 15 to 20 minutes, or microwave individual slices on medium power for 90 to 120 seconds, until the internal temperature reaches at least 74°C (165°F).
Troubleshooting
Custard center remains wet or runny while top is deeply browned
Cause: Oven temperature running high or casserole was placed too high in the oven cavity
Fix: Tent the baking dish loosely with aluminum foil to protect the top crust and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes until center reads 71°C (160°F)
Prevention: Bake strictly on the center oven rack and calibrate oven temperature with an oven thermometer
Casserole texture is excessively soggy or mushy rather than custardy
Cause: Fresh, soft sandwich bread was used instead of crusty day-old artisan bread
Fix: Cannot be fixed once baked; serve topped with toasted breadcrumbs or extra crisped bacon for textural balance
Prevention: Use dry, dense bread cubes or lightly oven-toast fresh bread at 150°C (300°F) for 10 minutes before assembling
Greasy layer pooled on top of the casserole
Cause: Pre-shredded cheese with added cellulose was used, or bacon was not drained thoroughly
Fix: Gently dab surface pooling with clean paper towels immediately after removing from oven
Prevention: Drain rendered bacon grease completely on paper towels and shred whole-block cheddar manually
Cultural Context
The savory breakfast strata emerged in mid-twentieth-century American home cooking and community cookbooks as an ingenious way to feed holiday crowds effortlessly. Inspired by European bread puddings and savory souffles, this make-ahead formula repurposed stale pantry bread into a rich centerpiece combining quintessential American breakfast staples: smoky cured bacon, sharp farmhouse cheddar, and farm-fresh eggs.
