Sourdough Ham and Cheese Strata

This sourdough ham and cheese strata is a delicious make-ahead breakfast casserole made with crusty sourdough bread, ham, cheddar cheese, and sourdough starter. Perfect for feeding a crowd, it's an easy recipe to prepare the night before and bake fresh the next morning.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword Sourdough Discard

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 40

Fridge Time 12

Total Time 55

Servings Servings

Calories 377kcal

Author Kate Freebairn

Equipment

12" Cast Iron Skillet (or round baking dish, or a 9" x13" rectangle baking dish)

Ingredients

500 g Sourdough Bread (approx. half a loaf, cubed)
500 g Diced Ham
10 Eggs (I’ve used large eggs, you can always add more if needed)
100 g Sourdough Starter (or sourdough starter discard)
5 g Salt (1 tsp)
3 g Pepper (1 tsp)
2 g Onion Powder (1 tsp)
2 g Garlic Powder (1 tsp)
200 g Milk (whole milk)
250 g Cheddar Cheese (shredded)
Green onions or chives for garnish, optional

Instructions

Start by greasing a baking dish or skillet with cooking spray, butter or oil. I used a 9x13-inch baking dish.
Put the sourdough bread cubes and diced ham in the baking dish and gently toss to combine. Let sit while you organize the rest of the ingredients.
In a large mixing bowl or batter jug, add 10 eggs, sourdough starter, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, milk and shredded cheddar cheese. Whisk vigorously until the ingredients are well combined.
Tip the egg mixture over the sourdough bread and ham in the baking dish. Gently stir to combine until all the bread is coated and most of the liquid is soaked up.
Now, cover the dish in aluminum foil and place into the fridge for up to 24 hours. This allows the crusty sourdough bread to fully absorb all of the egg mixture.
When you're ready to bake the sourdough breakfast casserole, preheat the oven to 200ºC (400ºF) and allow the strata to sit out of the fridge for around 30 to 40 minutes. Take the aluminum foil off the baking dish and place into the oven to bake until golden brown, 35 to 45 minutes. Once baked, remove from the oven and allow it to sit for around 30 minutes before serving.

Notes

Feel free to play around with the ingredients in this one - bacon or sausage are fantastic swaps for the ham, or add in your favorite chopped veggies like bell peppers, onions, or tomatoes.
I found 10 large eggs worked for this amount of bread, but depending on the size of your eggs, or if there isn’t enough liquid to soak all the bread, you can always whisk up another egg or two and add it to the mixture.
I like scallions/green onions scattered on top, but fresh herbs like chives or parsley are delicious too!

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