Equipment
Ingredients
Base
- 400 g sourdough bread, stale, cut into 2cm cubes
- 300 g cherry tomatoes, halved
- 15 ml olive oil, for greasing
Custard
- 6 large eggs, room temperature
- 400 ml whole milk, room temperature
- 200 ml heavy cream
- 2 garlic, minced
- 5 g kosher salt
- 2 g black pepper, freshly cracked
Cheese and Herbs
- 150 g mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 100 g parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- 15 g fresh basil, roughly chopped
- 2 g fresh thyme, leaves picked from stems
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 433 kcal
- Protein
- 20 g
- Carbohydrates
- 30 g
- Fat
- 24 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sugar
- 5 g
- Sodium
- 1139 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 13 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 8 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Cholesterol
- 196 mg
- Potassium
- 287 mg
- Calcium
- 343 mg
- Iron
- 1.0 mg
- Magnesium
- 23 mg
- Phosphorus
- 287 mg
- Zinc
- 1.6 mg
- Vitamin A
- 251 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 1 mg
- Vitamin D
- 1.9 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 1.0 mg
- Vitamin K
- 11 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 1.2 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.06 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.40 mg
- Niacin
- 0.2 mg
- Folate
- 25 mcg
- Water
- 103 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat your oven to 180C/350F. Lightly grease the 9x13-inch baking dish with olive oil to prevent the custard from sticking.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, whole milk, heavy cream, minced garlic, kosher salt, and black pepper until completely smooth and homogenous.
Add the cubed sourdough bread, halved cherry tomatoes, chopped basil, thyme leaves, shredded mozzarella, and half of the grated parmesan cheese to the bowl with the custard. Toss thoroughly to ensure every piece of bread is coated.
Transfer the entire mixture into the prepared baking dish, pressing down gently with your hands or a spatula to submerge the bread in the liquid. Sprinkle the remaining parmesan cheese evenly over the top.
Let the dish rest at room temperature for 30 minutes to allow the bread to fully absorb the custard. This step is critical for a tender interior.
Bake uncovered at 180C/350F for 45 to 50 minutes. The pudding is done when it is puffed, the top is deeply golden brown, and the center is set, reaching an internal temperature of 74C/165F.
Remove from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing. This allows the custard to carryover cook and set up properly for clean slicing.
Chef's Notes
- The quality of the bread dictates the success of a strata. A sturdy sourdough with a tight crumb holds up best without disintegrating into mush. Avoid soft, mass-produced sandwich bread.
- For the best texture, tearing the bread rather than cubing it creates jagged edges that crisp up beautifully on the top layer.
- Do not skip resting the mixture. Giving the bread time to soak up the custard ensures a silky, cohesive interior rather than dry bread swimming in scrambled eggs.
- If your tomatoes are out of season and lack sweetness, consider roasting them with a pinch of sugar and olive oil for 15 minutes before adding them to the strata.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store in an airtight container. The texture will become denser upon chilling.
Freezer: 1 month — Freeze in individual portions wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and foil.
Reheating: Reheat individual portions in a 160C/320F oven for 15 minutes, or microwave on medium power for 2 minutes until warmed through.
Troubleshooting
The bread pudding is soggy or watery at the bottom.
Cause: The bread was too fresh and didn't absorb the custard, or the tomatoes released too much moisture.
Fix: Cover the top loosely with foil and continue baking for another 10-15 minutes to cook off the excess liquid.
Prevention: Ensure bread is completely stale or toasted dry before using. Squeeze excess juice from particularly watery tomatoes.
The top is browning too quickly before the center sets.
Cause: Oven runs hot, or the dish is placed too high in the oven.
Fix: Tent the baking dish loosely with aluminum foil for the remainder of the baking time.
Prevention: Bake on the middle rack and verify oven temperature with a thermometer.
The interior bread pieces are dry and white, lacking flavor.
Cause: Insufficient resting time before baking, preventing the custard from penetrating the crumb.
Fix: Cannot be fixed once baked.
Prevention: Do not skip the 30-minute resting phase; press the bread down to submerge it fully.
Cultural Context
Savory bread puddings, often called stratas in North America, have roots deeply embedded in European peasant cooking traditions, particularly in Italy and France. Historically, dishes like panzanella or ribollita were born out of the necessity to utilize stale bread. Transforming hardened loaves by soaking them in rich liquids like eggs, milk, or broth is a timeless technique that bridges frugality with indulgence, honoring the agricultural staples of wheat, dairy, and seasonal vegetables.
