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.

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.

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.

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.

It's a bread pudding. So the texture of the bread is french toastish.

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.

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!!