texture of a strata
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Anonymous
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I made a strata for the first time today. I have not ever eaten one before so wondering if the texture turned out correct. The bread on top was crusty and hard and the middle pieces were soft and a little mushy. Is that how it is supposed to be? I didn't dry the bread out before hand. Just chopped up a french loaf I had bought from the bakery the day before and accidentally cooked it covered with foil (recipie called for uncovered). It tasted good overall but I much preferred the texture of the harder bread on top versus the mushy bread in the middle. Was planning on making for a brunch I am hosting next week and was wondering if I need to make any changes or if this is how it is supposed to taste.
Thanks!! |
Anonymous
| Think you needed to cook it a little longer. I like mine firm like scrambled eggs, not wet, but guess it's up to each person's individual taste. It should not be "crusty" in the middle - just on the top/edges. |
Anonymous
| It's a bread pudding. So the texture of the bread is french toastish. |
Anonymous
| Okay thanks. I did cook it for an hour and 10 minutes which was longer than the recipie stated. Recipie stated 45-55 min. Do you usually cut your bread and let it get stale for a day? Wondering if that would help with texture? Also wondering if leaving it uncovered would have formed it up a bit more. |
Anonymous
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Uncovered would have helped. I don't know that the dryness of the bread matters that much, although you might want to cut back on the milk/cream if you're using soft bread.
You did let it sit in the fridge overnight, right? By the time the bread has soaked that long, it's going to be mushy. |
Anonymous
| You want it to be crunchy on top, and custardy within. I find the type of bread you use makes a difference, I prefer pain de mie or some such. |
Anonymous
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Yes it sat in the fridge overnight.
I guess I'm just not a strata person. Will try a frittata for the brunch instead. I really liked the make the night before and pop in the oven aspect of the strata though. |