Recipes and Cooking Pear-Bacon Strata Be the first to rate & review! Make fresh pears a highlight of your savory breakfast with this bacon and cheese strata. Drying the bread cubes for this strata helps them absorb the egg mixture more readily. By Annie Peterson Annie Peterson Instagram Annie Peterson has built her career around her passion for food, working as a contributing food editor to Better Homes & Gardens® food publications for more than 15 years. She received her B.A. from Iowa State University in 2003 and completed the Better Process Control School at the University of Tennessee in 2020. She contributed to various cookbooks, including several Whole30 titles, as well as the 15th, 16th, and 17th editions of the iconic Better Homes & Gardens® New Cook Book. She also serves as Recipe Editor for Allrecipes Magazine. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Published on April 14, 2020 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Blaine Moats Prep Time: 30 mins Bake Time: 45 mins Stand Time: 15 mins Total Time: 1 hrs 30 mins Servings: 6 Jump to Nutrition Facts Ingredients 4 slices bacon, chopped 2 tablespoon finely chopped shallot or red onion 3 cup chopped pears, peeled if desired 2 tablespoon honey 2 teaspoon snipped fresh thyme Nonstick cooking spray 1 1 pound loaf ciabatta bread, cut into 1-inch cubes and dried (9 cups) 1 cup shredded Gouda or white cheddar cheese (4 oz.) 6 eggs, lightly beaten 3 cup milk ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon black pepper Directions Preheat oven to 350°F. In a 4 to 6-qt. Dutch oven cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove from Dutch oven and drain on paper towels. Drain all but 1 tablespoon drippings from Dutch oven. Add shallot; cook and stir 1 to 2 minutes more or until shallot is softened. Add pears; cook and stir 2 minutes more or just until pears are softened. Remove from heat; transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in bacon, honey and thyme; cool slightly. Wipe out Dutch oven with paper towels (or wash and dry, if necessary); coat with cooking spray. Place half of the bread cubes in the Dutch oven. Top with half of the pear mixture and a third of the cheese. Repeat layers. In a medium bowl combine eggs, milk, salt, and pepper; pour over mixture in Dutch oven. Press bread down lightly to moisten. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover and bake 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand, covered, about 15 minutes. Drizzle strata with additional honey and sprinkle and additional thyme. Two Ways to Dry Bread Cubes Preheat oven to 300ºF. Cut bread into cubes and arrange in two large baking pans. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring twice; cool. (Bread will continue to dry as it cools.)Let bread cubes stand, loosely covered, at room temperature 8 to 12 hours. Rate it Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 499 Calories 17g Fat 60g Carbs 23g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 6 Calories 499 % Daily Value * Total Fat 17g 22% Saturated Fat 8g 40% Cholesterol 224mg 75% Sodium 902mg 39% Total Carbohydrate 60g 22% Total Sugars 20g Protein 23g Vitamin C 3.7mg 19% Calcium 316mg 24% Iron 3.4mg 19% Potassium 370mg 8% Folate, total 38.8mcg Vitamin B-12 1.4mcg Vitamin B-6 0.2mg *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.