What's the difference between a breakfast casserole and a strata?

Strata is otherwise known as “the breakfast casserole that your overnight guests will think you toiled away on all morning when in reality, you simply whipped it up the night before and just popped in the oven.” “Strata” is much shorter . Stratas are egg casseroles made with bread—lots of it.

Can you freeze a strata before cooking?

Bake until the center of the casserole reaches an internal temperature of 160 °F as tested with a food thermometer. After baking, any leftovers must be refrigerated within two hours and can be kept three to four days in the refrigerator or frozen for about three months. Uncooked egg strata should not be frozen .

Why is my strata soggy?

(Just don't skip the sautéing. It's crucial because it cooks out excess liquid , which prevents the strata from becoming soggy.)

What are the three types of strata?

Strata properties fall into one of three main categories: residential, commercial or mixed use . Each has its own rules and considerations.

Why does strata have to sit overnight?

Letting the strata sit in the fridge overnight saturates the flavor and means less dirty dishes in the morning !

How far in advance can I make strata?

MAKE AHEAD: Strata improves when there is plenty of time for the bread to soak up the custard. Make this up to 12 hours ahead of baking . The strata will emerge from the oven puffed and gorgeous, then deflate. It can be served piping hot or at room temperature.

Do you have to refrigerate strata before baking?

Assemble your Strata, and Let it Sit If you're not going to bake it right away (and you crisped up your bread pieces in the oven), cover it with foil and store it in the fridge overnight , then let it sit on the counter at least half an hour before baking so it's not so chilled.

Why is it called strata?

The word "strata" refers to apartments being on different levels . Strata title was first introduced in 1961 in the state of New South Wales, Australia, to better cope with the legal ownership of apartment blocks.

What's the difference between strata and quiche?

A quiche is baked in a flaky pie crust-style pastry shell. An egg custard prepared without this crust is also known as a frittata. A strata, on the other hand, is an egg custard that's baked with layers of bread inside.

What's the difference between a breakfast casserole and a frittata?

As for the cooking process, frittata is made by briefly cooking an egg-based custard in a cast-iron pan on the stove, then baking it for a short time in the oven. Meanwhile, the egg custard in a breakfast casserole is poured over layers of other ingredients in a deep baking dish before going into the oven.

What is the difference between strata and stratum?

In statistics, a stratum (plural strata) refers to a subset (part) of the population (entire collection of items under consideration) which is being sampled . Stratification thus consists of dividing the population into strata within each of which an independent sample can be chosen.

Savory Bacon Mushroom Strata Recipe (2024)

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Bacon Mushroom Bread pudding is soft and custardy with salty bacon and flavorful mushrooms. The type of savory bread pudding you want to take to any brunch.

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Strata and bread pudding recipes
Make ahead brunch recipes:
Make this easy brunch casserole:
Onion Bacon and Mushroom Strata

No one is ever upset about this recipe! In fact I get rave reviews, compliments and pleads for this bacon mushroom bread pudding recipe whenever I make it.

I make this anytime I'm asked to bring a dish to brunch or breakfast, or if I have folks over for a holiday. It is typically the star of the show!

Much like my Raspberry French Toast Bake with Cream Cheese, this strata, or bread pudding (whatever you'd like to call it), is a crowd-pleaser because of the custardy, flavorful ingredients.

Strata and bread pudding recipes

I often use the terms strata and bread pudding interchangeably. They are so very similar, but have a few distinct differences.

Both stratas and bread puddings are great make-ahead brunch recipes. They both consist of a bread base and milk or cream and eggs to soften the bread and create a custard when baked.

Strata recipes typically have more eggs than bread pudding, and typically include savory ingredients.

Notice I said typically. Both brunch casseroles can be savory or sweet. That being said, you'll most often see stratas at breakfast and brunch and bread puddings for brunch or dessert!

Bake your casserole in these beautiful baking dishes.

Make ahead brunch recipes:

I have several recipes that lend themselves to be prepped or made ahead for brunch and breakfast.

Prep everything ahead for my Cherry and Pistachio Yogurt Bowls.

The batter for the world's best bran muffins can be made days in advance and baked fresh when you need them.

Oven Baked French Toast Fondue bakes in the oven as you make other things.

Make this easy brunch casserole:

Most bread puddings or stratas call for stale or day old bread. These brunch casserole recipes were invented to use up this day old bread, by reviving it and soaking it in milk and egg.

If you do have old bread, feel free to use it, and let the mixture sit and soak for a little longer.

If you're shopping and cooking immediately, I just suggest a hearty bread like a rustic french bread or rustic loaf. Softer bread is fine, it will just produce a different, more soft texture in the end.

Onion Bacon and Mushroom Strata

Tara Teaspoon

Bacon Mushroom Bread Pudding is an easy, make-ahead brunch casserole for all your gatherings.

4.67 from 3 votes

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Prep Time 45 minutes mins

Ingredients

2 tablespoon olive oil
2 small onions thinly sliced root to tip
3 cups (10 oz) sliced mushrooms
8 slices cooked bacon, chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1½ cups (6 oz) shredded Swiss cheese
¾ cup (3 oz) shredded fontina cheese
6 cups 1-inch bread cubes with crusts a hearty French bread works well
8 eggs beaten
2½ cups milk
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Butter for dish

Instructions

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add onions; stir to coat. Cook until onions start to soften, about 2 min, then reduce heat to medium and cook until onions are golden and soft, stirring occasionally, about 20 min; remove from skillet and wipe clean. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in skillet, add mushrooms and sauté until golden, 3 to 4 min.
In a large bowl combine onions, mushrooms, bacon, thyme, cheese and bread cubes. Mix together the eggs, milk, salt and pepper and pour over bread, stirring to coat.
Butter a 2½- to 3-qt baking dish and arrange bread mixture evenly in dish. Cover with plastic wrap and chill 4 hr or up to 24 hr.
Heat oven to 350°F. Remove plastic wrap and bake strata until eggs are set and top is golden brown, about 50 min; cover with foil if top gets too brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

• I love to cook this as a make ahead Christmas breakfast. Thanksgiving and New Year's are perfect times to serve this as well.

Nutrition

Calories: 577kcalCarbohydrates: 33gProtein: 36gFat: 34gSaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 246mgSodium: 1010mgPotassium: 649mgFiber: 3gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 932IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 653mgIron: 3mg

Want to watch videos to show you how to cook?Check out our Youtube and try this recipe and more.

Day-Starters: Breakfast & Brunch Recipes

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Croissant Breakfast Sandwiches
Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding
Southwest Frittata with Black Beans
Whole Wheat Walnut Pumpkin Bread
The Best Bran Muffin Recipe
One Banana Banana Bread
Super Soft Cinnamon Rolls (Tangzhong Method)

Savory Bacon Mushroom Strata Recipe (13)

About Tara Teaspoon

I’ve been in the food publishing business for over 20 years, creating recipes & food-styling for magazines, books, television & advertising. Order my new cookbook & stick around for amazing things to eat.

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Recipe Tara Teaspoon, Photography Yunhee Kim, Food Stylist Paul Grimes, Prop stylist Michelle Wong, Originally published LHJ 04/11.