Bed & Breakfast Blueberry Strata
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Blueberry Strata is a delicious make-ahead breakfast casserole that originates from Janssen Park Place Bed & Breakfast in Mena, Arkansas. A fruit strata is a dish that is made up of layers of bread and in-season fruit over which a mixture of eggs and milk is poured and that is refrigerated before it is baked — just like an overnight French Toast casserole.
This tasty Blueberry Strata recipe is made with a mixture of cubed Texas toast, fresh blueberries, and whipped eggs. Serve with a side of bacon and top with powdered sugar or maple syrup and you’ve got yourself a good-enough-for-company weekend breakfast!
Overnight Blueberry Strata
A few years ago, our family stayed at a beautiful Victorian B&B in Mena, Arkansas, during our niece’s wedding weekend. The innkeepers, John and Jolynn, were excellent hosts and were so gracious to share this Blueberry Strata recipe with me.
Overnight breakfast bakes are the best when you’re planning for weekend guests because you can prep the night before and then enjoy visiting the next morning while breakfast cooks. I like making Blueberry Strata with fresh blueberries, but it works with frozen berries just as well.
Overnight Strata FAQs
What is strata?
Strata can be either sweet or savory and is made up of layers of bread that are soaked in whipped eggs and refrigerated overnight to bake the next morning. Savory stratas may have chunks of ham or sausage with cheese or possibly other veggies like spinach in this Spinach & Cheese Strata.
What is the best bread to use in overnight French toast or strata?
It’s important to use a thicker, denser bread when making overnight French toast or breakfast stratas. You want the bread to soak up the eggs, but you want to avoid it becoming so soggy that it doesn’t bake up properly. It’s actually better if the bread is a little stale.
This Blueberry Strata recipe calls for Texas Toast — not the frozen variety — which should be available in a sliced loaf on the grocery bread aisle. If you can’t find that, a brioche or dense sourdough will work. When slicing your own bread for the strata, make sure it is 3/4 to 1-inch thick.
Can you use other berries in this strata recipe?
Blackberries and blueberries work especially well in this strata, but I think raspberries and strawberries wouldn’t hold up in this recipe as they would become too mushy during baking.
More breakfast recipes for company!
When we know we’re having overnight guests and need to plan a special breakfast, these are some of my go-to recipes:
- Southwestern Frittata Breakfast Casserole
- Rustic Sausage & Grits Egg Skillet
- Classic Quiche Lorraine
- Spinach Quiche
- French Toast à L’Orange
- Breakfast Enchiladas
- More breakfast recipes!
To make this recipe you may need…
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I like to use a white baking dish like this one with handles when making overnight breakfast casseroles to serve to guests. I think it’s a classic piece of oven-to-table serveware and it just looks nice!
Bed & Breakfast Blueberry Strata Recipe
One of my favorite sweet breakfast options for weekend brunch menus, this Blueberry Strata recipe is so easy to prep! Layer cubes of Texas toast with blueberries and pour over the whipped eggs, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. Bake for 45-60 minutes the next morning and serve hot with maple syrup. You might also enjoy this strata recipe made with fresh blackberries, too!
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Blueberry Strata
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 ¾ teaspoons cinnamon
- ¼ cup butter melted and cooled
- 8 slices Texas Toast
- 1 ½ cups fresh blueberries
- 6 eggs
- 1 ¾ cups milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- Maple syrup
Instructions
- Cube the Texas Toast into large pieces.
- Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and melted butter and mix well.
- Sprinkle 1/3 of the brown sugar mixture evenly into the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Add half of the cubed bread, then sprinkle 1/3 of the brown sugar mixture on top and scatter with the blueberries. Place remaining bread cubes over the berries and sprinkle with the remaining brown sugar mixture.
- Whisk eggs, milk, vanilla, and salt together and pour evenly over the bread. Cover with plastic wrap and press down lightly. Refrigerate the strata overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake uncovered for 45 -60 minutes until puffed and golden.
- Serve with maple syrup.
Notes
- This Blueberry Strata recipe calls for Texas Toast — not the frozen variety — which should be available in a sliced loaf on the grocery bread aisle. If you can’t find that, a brioche or dense sourdough will work.
- When slicing your own bread for the strata, make sure it is 3/4 to 1-inch thick.
Nutrition
Life Love and Good Food does not claim to be a registered dietician or nutritionist. Nutritional information shared on this site is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
Everyone loves this! I cut the sugar a bit as it’s quite sweet.
Have you ever baked this, refrigerated, and then reheated the following day?
Hi, Jeri. I have not baked, refrigerated, and reheated the entire strata the next day. I have reheated individual servings in the microwave, if that helps.