This custardy, fluffy strata is made with stale day-old sourdough bread, eggs, sautéed leeks, and bell peppers. The flavors are inspired by egg bhurji, Indian-style scrambled eggs cooked with garam masala, garlic, ginger, and cumin. You can prepare and refrigerate the unbaked strata up to 12 hours in advance to let the stale bread soak up the egg custard mixture, which makes it a great do-ahead weekend breakfast or brunch dish. Serve the strata with a drizzle of cilantro chutney for extra herbaceousness! —Hetal Vasavada
All products featured on Epicurious are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
What you’ll need
8" Baking Pan
$26 $24 At Amazon
Box Grater
$18 At Amazon
Silicone Spatula
$13 At Amazon
Large Skillet
$90 At Amazon
Microplane Grater
$17 At Amazon
Recipe information
Yield
4–6 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Butter an 8x8" or 9x9" baking dish with unsalted butter.
Step 2
Whisk 7 large eggs, 1¾ cups whole milk, and 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt in a medium bowl until well combined. Season with freshly ground black pepper and set aside.
Step 3
Heat 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter and 2 tsp. vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium until butter is melted. Cook ½ tsp. cumin seeds, stirring constantly, until fragrant and starting to pop, about 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium-low and add 2 large leeks, white and pale green parts only, thinly sliced; season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks are very soft and starting to brown, 8–10 minutes. Increase heat to medium and add 1 medium red bell pepper, cut into ½" pieces. Cook, stirring often, until pepper is beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Add 4 garlic cloves, finely grated, and one 1" piece ginger, peeled, finely grated, and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add 1 tsp. garam masala, 1 tsp. ground coriander, 1 tsp. ground cumin, ½ tsp. ground turmeric, and ½ tsp. mild chile powder and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Step 4
Scrape mixture into a large bowl and let cool slightly. Stir in ½ medium bunch cilantro, leaves and tender stems coarsely chopped, ¼ medium red onion, chopped, 9 oz. sourdough bread, preferably day-old, cut or torn into 1" pieces, and 1½ cups coarsely grated sharp cheddar; season with salt and pepper. Transfer to prepared baking dish and spread out into an even layer. Pour reserved egg mixture over; gently press down on strata to help bread absorb egg mixture. Scatter remaining ½ cup coarsely grated sharp cheddar over. Cover strata and chill at least 1 hour and up to 12 hours.
Step 5
Preheat oven to 350°. Bake strata until top is golden brown and a knife inserted into center comes out clean, 45–50 minutes. Let cool slightly, then cut into squares. Serve topped with more cilantro and Cilantro Chutney, if desired.
Do Ahead: Strata can be baked 3 days ahead. Let cool completely; cover and chill. Reheat in a 375° oven until hot, 20–25 minutes.
