I am not a white bread girl. For this recipe I use Pepperidge Farm Dark German Wheat Bread. I cooked a half of a pound of sweet Italian sausage and drained it on a paper towel then sauteed the veg in the fat with a little olive oil. I followed the recipe and when I poured the custard over I let it sit for 6 hours. I baked it at 350 for 30 minutes covered with foil and 30 more with the foil off. https://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/spinach-mushroom-strata-0