Panera Bread's Bacon, Corn And Cheddar Strata

Erin Barnhart with Panera Bread shares the recipe for a delicious breakfast dish you can have any time of day.

1 tbsp butter
4 cups Panera® Asiago Cheese Bread, cubed 1-inch (a little less than 1 loaf)
1 cup corn, fresh or frozen and thawed
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
½ cup bacon, uncured, cooked and crumbled
1 ½ cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
¼ cup basil, chopped
4 eggs
1 ½ cups milk, 2%
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper

Butter an 8x8 baking dish. Combine bread, corn, tomatoes, bacon, cheese, and basil in a large bowl. Toss to combine and arrange in the buttered baking dish. In same bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Pour over bread mixture.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, up to 24 hours. When ready to bake, remove the plastic wrap, heat oven to 350°F and baker uncovered 45-50 minutes until strata is puffed and golden brown.

Tips: The recipe comes out best when bread is soaked overnight but can be baked after an hour. Somewhat stale bread is recommended because it soaks up the egg mixture better.