ingredients
- 1 loaf (about 16 oz.) french or sourdough bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 8 large eggs
- 2 cups half-and-half
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1-2 tsp hot sauce
- 3 tbsp + 1/2 tsp This Little Goat went to Grillville spice, divided
- kosher salt
- 8 oz. bacon
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped
- 1 1/2 cups shredded gruyere cheese
- 1/4 cup roughly chopped parsley, plus more for topping
- 3/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
preparation
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Spread cubed bread in a single layer on a baking sheet (or 2 baking sheets if one is not large enough) and toast until dried out, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, dijon, hot sauce, 3 Tablespoons Grillville spice and ½ teaspoon kosher salt.
- Toss toasted bread cubes in the egg mixture until well coated. Set aside, allowing the bread to soak up the liquid, for at least 30 minutes, or refrigerated up to overnight (the longer the better)!
- Meanwhile, add the bacon to a large skillet and heat over medium heat. Let cook, flipping occasionally, until crispy, about 8-10 minutes. Using tongs, transfer crispy bacon to a paper-towel lined plate to drain (do not wipe out the skillet). Once cool enough to handle, roughly chop the bacon and set aside.
- Dump out some of the bacon fat from the skillet, leave about 1 Tablespoon in the pan. Add in the onion and a pinch each of Grillville spice and kosher salt. Sauté over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and continue cooking until fragrant, about 1 minute more. Remove from the heat and stir in the thyme leaves and chopped bacon.
- Add the onion/bacon mixture, Gruyere cheese and parsley to the bowl containing the soaked bread mixture. Mix until well combined and pour everything into a large casserole dish or cast-iron skillet.
- Cover with foil, place in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees and remove the foil. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and return to the oven.
- Continue baking for about 10 minutes more, until cooked through and the cheese is golden brown and bubbly. Serve warm, topped with additional chopped parsley or a drizzle of hot sauce, if desired.
