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Blueberries, cream cheese,and bread bake in a creamy custard to create the best breakfast ever!
Ingredients
Blueberry Syrup
- 1 ½ cups white sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 ½ cups fresh blueberries
- 1 ½ tablespoons butter
Strata
- cooking spray
- 1 loaf French bread, cubed
- 1 ½ cups blueberries
- 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 12 eggs
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 2 cups milk
Directions
Step 1
Coat a 9×13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Place 1/2 of the bread cubes in dish; top with 1 1/2 cups blueberries. Scatter cream cheese over berries. Cover with remaining bread cubes. In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, maple syrup, and milk. Pour egg mixture over bread in pan. Cover, and chill overnight.
Step 2
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Step 3
Bake strata, covered, for 30 minutes. Remove cover, and bake for an additional 30 minutes.
Step 4
While the strata is baking, prepare the blueberry syrup. Combine sugar, cornstarch, and water in a saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil over high heat; cook for 5 minutes. Pour in remaining 1 1/2 cups blueberries; continue cooking for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in butter. Serve warm over slices of the strata.
Cook’s Note
If using frozen blueberries, drain before adding to strata.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings Per Recipe 16 | |
| Calories 369 | |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Total Fat16g | 20% |
| Saturated Fat9g | 43% |
| Cholesterol176mg | 59% |
| Sodium342mg | 15% |
| Total Carbohydrate47g | 17% |
| Dietary Fiber1g | 5% |
| Total Sugars28g | |
| Protein11g | |
| Vitamin C3mg | 14% |
| Calcium98mg | 8% |
| Iron2mg | 12% |
| Potassium201mg | 4% |
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
**Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient.If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.
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source by allrecipe
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I’ve made this a few times from an almost identical recipe from Tast of Home. the only thing i changeis reduce the cream cheese to one packageas i find 2 is a bit too much. I like it with pure maple syrup or syrup made from canned blueberries and thicken it myself.It’s easy to tweak this recipe to your personal taste.
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Yummy yummu! I made this for brunch and it was a hit! The only thing I want to specify is to use fresh blueberries if you can get ahold of them. I couldn’t find any, so I had to use frozen and it was a little more watery than expected but the bread soaked it right up. The syrup is delicious, you may want to add an extra T. of cornstarch if you are using frozen blueberries because of the excess water. Otherwise, awesome and I will definitely make this a regular!
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We really enjoyed this. But you definitely need the sauce because the base strata is a bit bland – there’s little sugar or seasoning in it. I did use frozen berries and just gently pressed paper towels on them while in the strainer which helped out immensely with any over-watering concerns. Next time I will mke extra sauce because it’s easy and delicious!
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I made this for a brunch and followed the recipe exactly. It’s very easy. and you make it the day before. It was Excellent! By far everyones favorite of the day of all of the dishes!
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Special and yummy breakfast or brunch dish. Good with butter and real maple syrup, but still a bit bland so it does need the sauce.
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I loved this dish! It was really easy to make and the blueberry sauce topping was amazing.
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Just sampled this hot out of the oven. Oh my! Love it! Just sweet enough and the texture, due to the cream cheese, was awesome. We made a half recipe but used 3 tablespoons of maple syrup and maybe 5-6 oz of cream cheese. We had to add water to the syrup to thin it when we reheated this morning. Thanks for a great recipe.
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I cut this in half using an 8×8 baking pan and used the leftover Cloverleaf rolls from last night’s Turkey Day dinner instead of french bread. (I baked the rolls day before Thanksgiving but for some reason, they hardened up really fast. So, these rolls were perfect for this recipe.) I did use reduced fat cream cheese, fat free evaporated milk instead of regular milk, organic frozen blueberries that I thawed just a bit and Smuckers blueberry syrup (which I just happened to have in the fridge). My husband didn’t care for it but it really was no issue because my kids snarfed up the rest. It was great for me because 1) breakfast was cake and 2) they were absolutely silent. Next time, I may play around with the recipe and maybe use something besides maple syrup in the strata. It might be pretty, too, with a drizzling of vanilla icing over the top and make a nice almost bread pudding dessert.
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Made this for Christmas morning and it was a huge letdown. Opted for cinnamon bread instead of french, but it still came out bland. The chunks of cream cheese overpowered everything else. My 3 year old daughter who will eat anything covered in sweet syrup wouldn’t even finish hers.
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This went over well at a New Year’s Eve get together. However, one of the other dishes that got raves was “little smokies in barbecue sauce”. So I take the praise with a grain of salt. (HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!) I did like that it was basically bread, berries and sugar.
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Love it! I think it will be great for Easter brunch because you prepare it ahead of time, freeing up time Easter morning for the Easter festivities.
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I hate it when people tweak and change recipes the first time they make it and then review it because they are reviewing something different, but in this case I am guilty. I made the strata following the directions but I used strawberries instead of blueberries (I had intended on using the blueberries but they were so expensive and strawberries were on sale). I know it is a major change but it was delicious!! Made it for Easter brunch and everyone loved it. They said it was so good they could not imagine it with blueberries. I will make it again, and I will try the blueberries. Blueberries would be less work because you wouldn’t have to do any cutting. I think this is a great recipe and easy to make. Also, I did add a little bit of cinnamon to the milk/egg mix. Vanilla or little sugar to the mix would be good too. I love how you mix everything the night before then before you serve you make the syrup. Will make again.
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This is a great dish-but not as is. I followed other folks suggestions and used less cream cheese. I used about 2/3 of a an 8oz brick and that was plenty and I pinched off little bits with my fingers into the mixture as opposed to 1/2″ pieces. I also doubled the maple syrup to sweeten it up and added about 1 t. of cinnamon. I only used about 8 eggs and that was plenty. I served mine with maple syrup and not the blueberry syrup. This was a huge hit for our Mother’s Day brunch.
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Everyone absolutely loved it. I only used 1 pkg. of cream cheese and this was plenty. Other than that I only made 2 other non-significant changes. I used whole wheat sandwich bread since it was all I had. Also, for the syrup, I cut back the sugar and water to 1 1/4 cup. It was plenty sweet. I might add some vanilla to the egg mixture next time.
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This was good, but it was way too much cream cheese for me and I would have thought the cream cheese would have softened and melted throughout but it stayed in the big clumps.
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LOVED IT! My husbands aunt made it for us a few years ago and have been making for our family ever since. You can even reheat and eat again for several days…Yummy!!!
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it was good, but i could really taste the egg in it. i like eggs, but it just seemed off in this dish. i thought it needed to be sweeter as well. my family did eat it, but it just didn’t wow me like i thought it would. i was dissapointed!
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This is truly wonderful! I cut the recipe in half, made it the night before and added a few chopped nuts. Before popping in the oven I poured on a bit of half and half and sprinkled it with brown sugar. Baked as directed and served with the blueberry syrup (lots left over to have with frozen yoghurt tonight).
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We loved this, to the point where my husband mentioned it for DAYS after the fact. I used frozen wild blueberries that I found at Fred Meyer, they were much smaller but more intense in flavor. I used just a little less cream cheese and didn’t bother with the syrup but sprinkled sugar on top instead.
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This was excellent! I had a huge party and made this 2 weeks ahead and froze (before cooking it). I took it out the day before and cooked it at 375 for an hour and served with plain maple syrup. Very good and will make again!
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Warning: I modified it based on other reviews! Took this to a brunch event and it was a big hit. I will keep it on my list of favorite recipes!
Used just one 8oz package of cream cheese mixed with 1 tsp of vanilla. Put lots of little blobs of cream cheese all over (tedious!). Added a couple of shakes of cinnamon and more vanilla to the egg/milk mixture. I used Italian bread (because the French bread at the store seemed like it would end up mushy, and the Italian was denser). I also failed to see the “chill overnight” when I read the recipe, so, I made it and popped straight in the oven!
Used fresh blueberries. The syrup was FABULOUS! I’m going to make homemade syrup all the time from now on! (I used 1 cup sugar instead of 1-1/2) and it was plenty sweet.)
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Loved this! I served it for Christmas breakfast and it was a hit! I did use less cream cheese- 1 1/2 pkgs instead of two and it was plenty. The blueberry syrup was delicious on it and it was also good with warm maple syrup. I will definitely make again.
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Very good! Since cream cheese doesn’t “melt”, next time I will cut smaller so you don’t get a chunk of it in a bite. I didn’t have enough blueberries so I made a strawberry syrup instead – yummy!
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This was good. I used a multi-grain bread, light cream cheese, and light vanilla silk. In order to reduce the calories, I decided to skip the blueberry syrup on top. But with the base strata, I thought it was very good and the maple syrup added a nice amount of sweetness the blueberries and cream cheese needed. The vanilla silk may have helped with that also. I also added about a teaspoon of salt to the custard.
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This is very delicious.
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excellent! I followed the advice of other reviewers and cut the cream cheese. Everyone loved it.
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This was excellent. I had to “guesstimate” the amount of bread and flexed amount of egg mixture – but the overall result was perfect. I made this for Christmas morning, prepping the night before. This recipe not only received rave reviews from my kids who ranged 10 years to 22, but it allowed me to spend the morning with the family instead of “manning the griddle”. A really nice change.
As for the dish itself – it was perfect in that it was filling and NOT too sweet.
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All you have to do is just reduce the amount of water to just 1/2 a cup if you’re using frozen blueberries
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I hate that I am writing this without trying it, but I have to ask or make a suggestion….If the cream cheese chunks that don’t melt are an issue, has anyone tried smoothing it on one side of the bread before slicing? Would that work and still allow a side for the bread to soak up the custard?
I am anxious to try this while blueberries are in season ( now!) -
Great MAKE AHEAD recipe. I always read reviews before making any AR dish, so I knew to cut the cream cheese amount in half. Added cinnamon and nutmeg to the milk. Although I did chill this overnight, a trick to making a quicker strata of any kind is to make the recipe as directed through the stage where you’d be chilling it overnight. Then, cover your dish with plastic wrap and place some type of evenly-distributed weight on top — another baking dish, or a cutting board with a cookbook on top, whatever. (No need to chill unless it’s 100 degrees in your kitchen.) It only takes about an hour for the bread to soak up the custard perfectly! I added a bit of lemon juice to the syrup to brighten it up, too. Very, very good.
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This recipe is easy, and sure to please family/friends/company!!! The ONLY change I made to the recipe, was adding cinnamon and vanilla extract to the egg mixture.
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I made mine with fresh strawberries, as my son doesn’t like blueberries, and it was a hit! The strawberry syrup was amazing, and the whole dish is super easy to make!
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I took the advise of others and reduced the cream cheese by half but that was the only change. I was alittle hesitant to try this because my husband is not a big blueberry fan but he really enjoyed it. Will definitely make again.
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This was amazing! Without reading the other reviews , it was obvious there was too much cream cheese. I made it with only 1-1/2 blocks of cream cheese and no syrup. Next time I would even use less and make them smaller bits. Also, I would chop my bread into even smaller crouton size pieces. But still super moist and yummy!!
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To Izzy, the 9 hours and 20 minutes refers to 20 minute prep time, 8 hour over night in the refrigerator, and 1 hour cook time. I plan on making today and hope it is a success! The five star rating is based on how it looks online. If my option has changed after making I’ll repost.
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I had some old bread and blueberries in the freezer that I needed to use up, so I tried this recipe. My husband loved, loved, loved it! This recipe will be a staple in my recipe box!
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Made it for church social hour it was a hit!!! Great receipe
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this is really easy and delicious. it is like french toast/cheesecake. super simple and yummy! my attempt came out less brown than i thought it would, and the amount of syrup (the glaze for the top) was too much. i poured it over top and realized it looked kind of like a soup. but it was still a hit, and we all enjoy it at my house
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Really good. Will use only one box cream cheese next time and slice it thin to cover the layer. Will also add vanilla as i do with french toast. The homemade blueberry syrup is really great and is definitely needed to give the dish sweetness.
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This recipe is amazing. I would make again, but I would add some cinnamon to the egg mixture. However, the syrup is EXTRA amazing! I did add a dash of cinnamon to the syrup and cut water back to only one cup since I had to use frozen berries for that. (The grandchildren had eaten the rest of the fresh berries by the time I made the syrup!). My son-in-law raved about this recipe, so it’s definitely a keeper! Thank you for sharing, Jeannette1011!
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We had our annual girls weekend out on Long Island ME and I tried this recipe for one of our breakfasts. There were 12 of us and everyone loved it!! Will defiantly be making this time n time again!!
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The prep time is inaccurate, as it takes over 20 minutes to cube an entire loaf of French bread. The egg mixture was inadequate to cover the entire pan.
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My kids liked it but my husband and I thought it was just ok. Too much cream cheese and the sauce was too sweet, both problems that are adjustable. I may play around with the recipe and try some of the suggestions offered by other reviewers.
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This is a 5-star with changes noted by others. Definitely use only one package of cream cheese, add 1 tsp. of cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. of salt, and next time I will add some lemon zest. I just topped with (always real) maple syrup, as I am not a big blueberry syrup fan.
Just great; everyone who ate it was in love with it. Oh, I took it out of the fridge 2 hours before baking, and it still required one hour 15 minutes to bake properly.
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So simple and delicious. Served this with scrambled eggs and crispy bacon.
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I made this recipe as written. Turned out great. Must use fresh blueberries- frozen would add too much liquid. Friends asked for recipe!
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Any time I can get my husband to rant about a meal, I’m thrilled. He LOVED this and has asked for repeat performances. There was blueberry sauce left … He put it on all kinds of stuff. Definite keeper
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This was delectable. A total hit! I opted out for Hawaiian King Rolls instead of the French bread which sweated the main dish up a bit. I also added one banana sliced. I think less sugar for the syrup would suffice without compromising taste. I served the dish with chopped pecans as an optional toping.
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Used 12 oz cream cheese and was enough. Will probably try using whipped cream cheese next time and pipe on instead, for better distribution. Syrup is a must, very good. Leftover syrup a great cheesecake topper. Had half a pan leftover and warmed in the oven at 350 for 20 min the next day and it was just as delicious as the day before.
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Loved the syrup! I will use that in other recipes!
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DON’T REDUCE the amount of cream cheese! Skip the labor of cutting it into 1/2 inch cubes by doing 1/4 inch+ slices and distribute them evenly across the bottom layer. Using fresh blueberries is essential. Also, apply cooking spray to the food side of the foil to prevent the top layer from sticking while cooking.
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Delicious!!
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I have made this recipe several times. I always only use 1 package of cream cheese and it is always a hit. I have substituted the blueberries for rasberries and blackberries also if blueberries are too expensive at the time and it is still amazing. Thanks for the recipe!
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Delicious! I add a tsp of cinnamon to the egg mixture. That was a trick that my mom use to do when making blueberry pie.
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I made this for the kids over the weekend and they loved it! I swapped half the blueberries for strawberries. Great recipe. Thanks for sharing!
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This is delicious! Great base recipe to adjust to personal preferences, too. I tried the recipe as written first (but only used one brick of cream cheese, just pinch off pieces and arrange them until you have a nice layer) and halved the sugar in the sauce and it was great. I also tried a little lemon juice and cinnamon in the sauce as well as vanilla and cinnamon in the egg mixture and that was fabulous. I suggest if you’re planning on skipping the sauce (use maple syrup instead) to add 1 tsp vanilla and 1/2 tsp or so of cinnamon to the egg do the flavor stands up to it better (but I prefer the blueberry explosion, myself)
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Absolutely to die for!!! I didn’t have time to let it sit overnight & it still got rave reviews!!! My husband said we will definitely be doing this one again!!
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I make this at least twice a month, cooking it the night before and then reheating for my family’s breakfast before work/school. I didn’t see any other reviews recommending mascarpone. I always sub mascarpone for the cream cheese–16 oz total. My family prefers it that way, and the mascarpone melts in better than cream cheese. I skip the topping, since my kids think it is yummy without. Occasionally I will heat a bag of frozen blueberries, add some maple syrup, then use that as a sauce.
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I made this for a group of ladies and it was hit! I loved the maple flavor hidden in with egg, fabulous taste.
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I thought this was very good. I had some half &half in the fridge, so that was a nice addition.
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This is one of my go-to brunch recipes! It’s always a favourite!
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I used fresh blueberries in the strata and frozen in the sauce. All other ingredients we’re exactly as the recipe stated. The only change I’d do in the future is to use 1/2-3/4 the amount of cream cheese. I did have to bake for an additional 15 minutes, cranked it to 375 and covered it loosely with foil, for it to set.
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I just made this for my family…. it is absolutely delicious.. I did cut the cream cheese to 1.5 blocks .. next time I’m going with 1 because my hubby says the cr cheese was too much .. highly recommended
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Flavors did not mesh well for me and my family. I did not make the topping sauce for it though and firmly don’t believe it could have resurrected this dish to satisfying.
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I’ve made this so many times! After a few bakes, the general consensus is one package of cream cheese is better than two. But it’s VERY popular! Freezes very well, too
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I used fresh picked blueberries and made it exactly as written, using a sturdy whole wheat bread. All four of us loved it! I do think a dash of cinnamon would enhance the flavor, and next time I will try to lighten it up by using light cream cheese. I also think I could adapt it to make just 2 servings. Make the full amount of sauce and keep
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I have mixed feelings about this dish. I followed the instructions to a T. When I took it out of the oven, the bread on top was very toasty and all the cream cheese was still in its cubes. So I stirred it…discovering a layer of scrambled eggs on the bottom. Is it supposed to be like that? Should I have stirred it up before baking? I don?t like the layer of eggs…they are over cooked. The whole dish is soggy now. But I love blueberries and the sauce is sweet and yummy.
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This was a winner. I followed other reviewers advice and used less cream cheese and only 8 eggs. It had a great consistency. You could even leave the cream cheese out completely and this would still be good. The blueberry sages adds the final WIW to it all. I also put more spices, cinnamon-
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AMAZING! Great brunch item!
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