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)
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.
