Ham And Cheese Breakfast Casserole

• 4 cups (loosely packed) day-old challah bread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 pound pancetta (thickly sliced), diced
• 6 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
• 1 cup grated gruyere cheese (about 4 ounces)

1. Grease an 8-inch square baking dish and throw in the cubed challah.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a skillet over medium to low heat. Add the onions, salt, and sugar. Saute until they are lightly caramelized (a medium golden brown color), about 15 minutes.
3. In another heavy saucepan, heat the other tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat and saute the pancetta until the fat is almost all rendered and it begins to get crisp, about 8 to 10 minutes. Set on a paper towel to drain.
4. Whisk together the eggs, milk, dry mustard, nutmeg, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Sprinkle pancetta over the bread cubes, then layer onions on top. Sprinkle grated Gruyere on next, and then pour the egg mixture over the entire thing.
6. Press down on the top gently, so that all of the bread cubes get soaked a bit with the egg mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
7. In the morning, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (take the casserole out of the fridge while the oven is preheating). Bake, uncovered, for 30-35 minutes, or until the edges are bubbling and the top begins to brown.

bread, olive oil, onion, salt, sugar, pancetta, eggs, milk, dry mustard, freshly grated nutmeg, thyme, gruyere cheese

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/ham-and-cheese-breakfast-casserole-50017575 (may not work)