Ten years ago I was working as a cook in a beautiful French restaurant in Portland. I made just about enough to pay for the gas to get me there each day. So when the chef would offer us the leftover bread from a local bakery at the end of the night, you’d better believe I took as much as I possibly could. On my days off we’d eat French Toast, French Toast Casserole, and this Sourdough Sausage Breakfast Strata.
Though now I make my own Sourdough bread and thankfully, no longer have a 2-hour commute, I still love this Strata just as much! It’s the perfect way to use up leftover bread, rolls or baguettes.
What is Strata?
Strata is a dish made from chunks of bread. Usually an assortment of meats, cheeses, veggies and/or herbs are added as well. Then an egg + milk mixture is poured over the top, it is covered with cheese, and the dish is baked.
My Strata combines homemade Sourdough bread, farm-fresh breakfast sausage and raw cheddar. I use kefir in place of milk, but other than that, it meets all the traditional criteria! Other than being a super delicious way to use up day-old bread, Strata is also a super easy way to celebrate the seasons.
How do I know when my Strata is done?
Sometimes people have issues getting breakfast casseroles (like a Strata) to cook all the way through. The edges will bake but the middle will be soupy.
Here’s how to make sure your Strata cooks evenly and completely:
- Do NOT use frozen ingredients. Give your bread, veggies and other fillings time to come to room temperature before you combine them with your egg mixture.
- Do NOT overdo the amount of liquid. Using Kefir in this recipe will definitely reduce the likelihood that you will have issues, but if you don’t have kefir, don’t overdo the milk or cream. You want your egg mixture to be nice and custard-y.
- Give it a tilt! The best test of when an egg dish is done is to lift one edge of the pan and see if anything runs across the top of the dish. If the middle pours out and across the Strata, it needs more time. If things look set, you’re good to go! If it does run but the edges are looking brown, you can always throw a sheet of foil on top to let it finish cooking without burning.
What other ingredients can you use in a breakfast Strata?
Strata is one of those beautiful dishes, similar to quiche, which allows you to customize the ingredients super easily. Ever run out of food on a Sunday evening and don’t know what to make for dinner? Strata is a perfect way to use up all the random stuff left in your fridge. Here’s a few flavor combo ideas:
- Sausage, peppers and Pepperjack cheese. Wanna spice things up a little? Chop one green pepper and one red (other colors work too), toss that in the Strata with the onion and top with Pepperjack cheese. A little spicy, a lot delicious. This combo is perfect for that end-of-Summer glut of peppers.
- Bacon, asparagus and Gruyere. In the Spring, the Asparagus is poking up shoots nearly every day in my garden. I planted those shoots three years ago and what a joy it is to finally be reaping the harvest! Combined with some salty cooked bacon slices, slightly funky Gruyere cheese and you’ve got yourself a breakfast that’s borderline sophisticated.
- Mushrooms, green onions and English cheddar. Even if Spring has sprung, that doesn’t mean there aren’t still cold, rainy mornings and evenings to contend with. This combo of mushrooms, green onions and salt aged English cheddar reminds me of a British pub. Perfect for those drizzly days of March and April.
Other favorite breakfast recipes
You may be noticing a theme around here. Making breakfast, eating breakfast foods and going out to breakfast might be my favorite thing ever. I share a lot of breakfast recipes because we eat a lot of breakfast around here. Being a homeschool family, we have the luxury of cooking a hot breakfast most days. It’s just the best way to start out the day!
Here’s a few of my favorite breakfast recipes:
- Sausage and Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash. This hash originally came from one of my various attempts at Whole 30. So, assuming you use good quality ingredients, including healthy fats and fresh eggs, it can be super healthy! It’s also a really great option if you have any allergies to accommodate. My oldest has a dairy sensitivity and I don’t do well with much gluten, so this is a perfect dish for our family.
- America’s Best English Cream Scones. These scones are my THING. If I am never known for anything else in life besides making delicious scones, that would be just fine by me. Our favorite flavor is Marionberry, with a light dusting of crunchy Turbinado sugar on top. Go make these right now. Trust me.
- Breakfast Surprise Casserole. Breakfast Surprise is pure childhood nostalgia. Watching my Mom prepare the ingredients on Christmas Eve. Shoving my face full of it as fast as possible on Christmas morning. Racing to get through our plates so we could get back to the presents. But always, always stopping to take a breath and enjoy this hearty dish. You want to make somebody feel loved? Breakfast Surprise is the ticket.
Tools for Strata making
Like so many of my recipes, Strata is a simple dish. You don’t need a bunch of fancy equipment. But, here are a few tools that make the process simpler and prettier.
- 9″ x 13″ Enamel Baker. I love a beautiful ceramic baking dish as much as the next person, but can I confess something? I’ve broken A LOT. This Enamel baker I’ve had for years and it never lets me down. Easy, lightweight and very farm-y. Ya gotta have one!
- Wooden Bow Bread Knife. We all know that cutting a loaf of homemade or artisan bread can be quite a chore. Enter, the wonder knife. These bow knives make the job quick and easy! Strata requires a lot of bread cubes and a lot of cutting, so do yourself a favor and grab one of these babies.
- Rotary Cheese Grater. Now, I don’t mind grating cheese the good old fashioned manual way. But…I also wouldn’t mind grating it quickly and easily with one of these either. Strata requires a LOT of cheese for that perfect, bubbly crispy topping, so I’m thinking this gadget would come in pretty handy.
Sourdough Sausage Breakfast Strata
DifficultyEasy
Servings8-10
Prep time15 minutes
Cook time20 minutes
Total time35 minutes
I love baking Sourdough bread. Me and most of the Internet, right? Spending hours shaping and stretching the dough is one of my favorite things to do in the kitchen. Weekly I try my hand at some sourdough creation or another, and while my family usually takes down a whole loaf with a pot of soup, without fail most weeks we end up with an extra bread. When I worked in a French restaurant a decade ago, we used to take home extra loaves each night. It was a fabulous way for a poor cook to afford a healthy dinner, and I came up with oodles of recipe to use up the free bread. Breakfast Strata was a favorite.
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 loaf Sourdough bread, preferably homemade, diced into cubes
- 1 ea yellow onion, diced
- 1 lb breakfast sausage
- 8 ea eggs
- 3 Tbsp kefir, plain
- 1 cup raw cheddar cheese, grated
- 1 Tbsp fresh parsley
- salt + pepper, to taste
Instructions
- 1
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Dice onion and cook in olive oil in a cast-iron skillet until translucent. Add sausage and cook until brown. Remove from heat.
- 2
While sausage and onion cook, dice your bread into 1″ x 1″ cubes. Toss them into a 9″ x 13″ pan. Add the sausage and onion mixture and stir until combined.
- 3
Mix your eggs and kefir, season with salt + pepper and pour over the bread mixture.
- 4
Top with cheese and fresh parsley, and another layer of salt and pepper.
- 5
Bake at 375 degrees F until cheese is golden and bubbly (check after 15 minutes) and egg mixture is set. Enjoy!
Equipment
Keywords:Breakfast Strata, Healthy Breakfast, Sausage, Sourdough Recipes, Sourdough Strata, Sourdough
Make your own Strata!
Are you going to give this recipe a try!? If you do, leave a comment below and let me know how it turned out. If you love it, or if you are dying to try it and want to remember where it is, pin this image so you won’t forget! And happy breakfasting!
