Ham and Cheese Stale Bread Breakfast Casserole

We build up stale bread heels and slices fast around here. I’m maxxed out on toasted bread crumbs and croutons, so I needed something else to stay ahead of the breadvalanche. This dish was invented out of desperation and it’s delicious. The trick is to cut the bread into cubes, and let them air dry on the counter for about three days. You want them to be rock hard, completely devoid of moisture, before making this casserole.

In a 10″ x 10″ casserole dish (or whatever you have, let’s be real here), dump about 4-5 cups of dry bread cubes.

In a bowl, mix thoroughly:
7 large eggs
2 cups milk (I use almond milk)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp Lawry’s seasoning salt (they make a low sodium variety, incidentally!)
1 cup diced ham
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Pour the mixture over the dry bread cubes in the casserole dish. They should all be submerged. If any dry bread is above the liquid, pour in a little extra milk to cover. This is where the magic happens. The bread is so dry that it will absorb most of the mixture and rehydrate slowly.

Put a cover on the casserole dish and stick it in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours. Let the magic work.

The next day, bake the casserole, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Let cool for about 15 minutes, enjoy!

Substitutions and Additions:
Chicken, sausage, bacon, or any other meat you like would work just fine.
If you want a change from cheddar, any cheese that can be grated into shreds and melts smoothly works just fine, too.
You could add diced onion, peppers, whatever appeals. It might be best to stir these in after the casserole has rehydrated, just before cooking.