Description

Day-old sourdough cubes soaked with egg-milk custard, cooked pork sausage, softened leeks and Gruyere, baked until hot and set.

Ingredients

Scale

8 cups Day-old sourdough bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 pound Raw bulk pork breakfast sausage
2 medium leeks Leeks, white and light-green parts, cleaned and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon Olive oil for leeks
6 eggs Large eggs
2 cups Whole milk
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Fresh thyme leaves
1/4 teaspoon Ground black pepper
1 cup Gruyere cheese, grated

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Instructions

Trim leeks to white/light-green parts, split and rinse between layers, then slice. Cook 1 lb raw bulk pork breakfast sausage in a large skillet over medium heat, breaking into small pieces until cooked through (160°F for ground pork); transfer and drain excess fat. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and soften two cleaned sliced leeks about 5 minutes.
Heat oven to 350°F. Whisk six eggs, 2 cups whole milk, 1 tsp Dijon, 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves and ¼ tsp black pepper. In a 9-by-13-inch dish, combine 8 cups day-old sourdough cubes, cooked sausage, softened leeks and ¾ cup of the 1 cup grated Gruyere; pour custard evenly over. Press bread gently and rest 20 minutes.
Scatter remaining ¼ cup Gruyere over top. Bake uncovered at 350°F approximately 45 to 55 minutes until golden and center is set, with an internal reading of 165°F for a meat-containing casserole. If top browns too fast, tent loosely with foil; extend time as needed.
Rest 10 minutes before dividing into eight portions. Measure actual center temperature, bread hydration, pan depth and serving yield in a kitchen trial.

Notes

Recipe-development draft; not kitchen-tested. Timing and yield are estimates. Nutrition has not been calculated.

Additional chilling, resting or cooling time: 30 minutes, included in the total.

Untested estimate: 25-minute preparation, 15-minute skillet work plus up to 55-minute bake, 20-minute soak and 10-minute rest. Extend bake until center set and thermometer confirms endpoint.

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Chilling, resting or cooling: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 70 minutes

Nutrition

Serving Size: One of eight equal portions from a 9-by-13-inch baking dish