Ingredients:
8 slices of bread, crusts removed
8 eggs, well beaten
1 lb. grated cheddar cheese, sharp
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons dry mustard
4 cups whole milk

Directions:
Take crusts off bread and cube. Line bottom of well-buttered pan with cubes. Stir rest of ingredients well and pour over bread cubes. (We deviated here and simply mixed the bread cubes in the bowl with the liquid mixture before transferring to the baking dish.)

Cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour, until the top is golden brown all over.  Allow the strata to stand for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. For variation, add ham cubes, parsley, mushrooms, or anything else (we think smoked salmon or sausage would also taste great).

Tips:

• Use the grating attachment of your food processor to quickly grate the cheese.
• Breadsmith’s Rustic Italian or French bread work well, but day-old or stale bread is great, too.
• The strata will puff up considerably as it bakes, but will deflate upon removing from oven.
• Instead of whole milk, you can also 2 cups lower-fat milk mixed with 2 cups half-and-half.
• For a special brunch, we recommend serving this dish with the following recipes:
  • Simply Extraordinary Fresh Fruit Salad
  • Apple Sausage Breakfast Ring
  • Raspberry Almond Scones