Easy, Make-Ahead Brunch That Actually Works

Hosting brunch sounds fun until you get stuck cooking while everyone else is hanging out, right? This bagel strata is our solution. Assemble it the night before, then bake it off in the morning so that you can relax before you serve.

Spongey bagels, flaky salmon, cream cheese, herbs, and a custardy base that soaks everything up. It’s cozy, impressive, and way easier than it looks.

It's also great reheated, so you can bake it off on the weekend and portion it out for your weekday breakfasts if you don't want to share!

Bagel Strata with Salmon

Why it's so great (besides the fact that it's delicious):

• Assemble ahead, even the night before.
• No complicated steps. Just bake the salmon, layer, soak, and bake the strata.
• Feeds a group (or you and your roommate for the week) without juggling multiple dishes.

From Emily: what's funny is that I actually used to hate things with soggy bread, like French dip sandwiches, for example. I've come around to them though, and this strata has the best of everything. It's soft and spongy kind of like French toast in the middle and toasted on top. It's so good!

From Rachel: we started playing around with a different strata recipe as one of the first things we ever did when starting our cooking account. That one was good, but this one is better, and it shows how far we've come because it's so perfectly balanced and done in a way that's easy to pull off.

Spring is such a great brunch season. Here are a few other great brunch options:

RUSTIC ​Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash​ Sweet potato, sage, breakfast sausage, and greens.

BAKERY STYLE ​Lemon Vanilla Scones​ Buttery and great with a hot cup of tea or coffee.

FRESH ​Papaya with Lime Syrup​ Like a dream vacation and only takes 10 minutes.

Have a great week and let us know what you're making for your next brunch party.

Happy cooking!

-Emily and Rachel