1.  Cut away any heavy crust from sides and top of loaf, taking care not to cut away too much of the bread itself.  This is much easier if you have a serrated knife.  You really just want to shave off the crust.

2.  Slice the bread into thin slices, about a 1/4 inch thick.  At this point, you can leave the bread sliced in the baking dish, to dry out a little overnight or for a day.  Drying the bread helps to keep the strata from becoming to gooey. 

3.  Once your bread has dried out a bit or staled, its time to start to build your strata.  Lightly spray a 13 x 9 inch glass or glazed baking dish with Bak Klene ZT* or Vegalene.  Place the bread slices lining the bottom of the pan with them. 

4.  Gently spread 1 cup of the Sautéed Apples over the first layer of bread.  

5.  Repeat with a second layer of bread, followed by another cup of sautéed apples.

6.  The final layer will be one more layer of bread on top of the last apple layer.  Should you cut your bread too thick, you will not have enough for the third layer.  If it appears that you are not going to be able to make a full three layers, don’t fret.  You can easily make this dish with one layer of apples.  In this case, you will use about 2 cups of apples over the bottom layer of bread.  Then top it with a final layer of sliced bread.

To Assemble the Custard:

7.  In a separate bowl, beat together the 10 eggs.  Add the sugar, spice, salt and vanilla and beat well to combine.  You want to make sure that your eggs are beaten completely, so that you don’t have any separation of the whites and yolks.  Then, gradually add the milk, whisking until throughly combined.

8.  Slowly pour the custard mixture over the bread layers, allowing it to soak down into the bread.   Once you have poured all the custard over the bread layers, gently press the bread down into the custard to encourage the top layer to soak up the custard. Sprinkle the top with a few remaining pieces of apple.   Cover immediately with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

To Bake:

9.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Remove the strata from the refrigerator and allow it to come up to room temperature, while the oven is preheating.

10.  Place the strata on top of a baking sheet and remove the plastic wrap.  This will protect your oven should there be a spill over.  Place the strata into the oven and bake for 35 minutes uncovered.  Remove the dish from the oven and loosely cover with foil.  Continue to bake for an additional 30-45 minutes, until a knife inserted into the center of the dish comes out clean. 

To Serve:

11.  Remove from oven and let rest for 15 minutes. 

12.  Cut and plate the strata.  See Notes for WW points based on serving size.