7 Make-Ahead Christmas Breakfasts
It happens every year. It's Christmas morning, the kids just finished opening their gifts and the first thing they ask is: "When are we having breakfast?" This year, you can have breakfast ready when they are.
Here are 7 make-ahead breakfast recipes from the FOOD52 community -- so no one has to wait.
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The cheese biscuits from Bluebird Coffee Shop in the East Village of Manhattan are impossibly tender and almost melting within, the subtle bite of cheddar woven throughout. Amanda and I went to visit Adam Baumgart in his pastry kitchen in the basement of Bluebird, and he taught us how to make these cheese biscuits, sharing his tips and tricks along the way. This is Adam's recipe for his heavenly biscuits. - Merrill
Save and print the recipe here.
Makes 10 to 12 large biscuits
3 1/2 cups minus 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour, plus more for shaping
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
9 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon cold unsalted butter (use a good brand, like Plugra, with a high butterfat content)
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 3/4 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and put it in the fridge for 20 to 30 minutes. In the meantime, cut the butter into chunks and leave out at room temperature (you want it malleable, but not soft).
Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat it to 400 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine the chilled dry ingredients, the cheese and the butter in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed for a few minutes, until the chunks of butter are no bigger than a large pea - or a small bean. (In the oven, the water in the chunks of butter creates steam, which in turn will creates lovely pockets of air within the biscuits.)
Add the buttermilk to the bowl and mix on low just until the dough comes together. Turn the dough out onto a floured board, dust your fingers with flour and gently knead it a few times. Quickly and carefully pat the dough into a large rectangle about 1/2 an inch thick.
Dip a 3-inch round cutter with sharp edges in flour and then cut the biscuits using an even downward motion, without twisting the cutter. Transfer the rounds of dough to the baking sheets, leaving an inch or two of space between them. When you've cut the first batch of biscuits, gently pat the dough into another rectangle and cut a few more -- discard the dough or add the funky leftover shapes to the baking sheets after the second batch is cut (if you shape the dough a third time, the biscuits will be tough).
Beat the egg with a splash of water (if you're feeling fancy, you can then pass it through a fine mesh sieve to get rid of any clumps of egg white that might burn). Brush the tops of the biscuits lightly with egg wash and bake for about 20 minutes, rotating halfway through, until the biscuits are a deep golden brown. Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheets but serve them while still warm!
*If making ahead* You have two options, you can make the recipe all the way through and re-heat the finished biscuits in the morning; or you can freeze the biscuits before step five and do the last step in the morning. You don't need to thaw them first -- you can eggwash and pop them in the oven still frozen, but they will take a little longer to bake.
Not too sweet and not too spicy, this holiday breakfast reaps all the best rewards of monkey bread and gingerbread. It's fluffy and fragrant, and the crust is laquered with a brown sugar caramel. We recommend eating it warm, with salted butter and coffee. - A&M
This isn't your squishy grocery store danish. Even after being draped with a festive trail of icing, every inch of the dish maintains its integrity -- from the flaky, rosemary-flecked crust to the firm, sweet bites of pear in their gentle tart-savory sauce. This recipe is meant to feed a crowd and is just as good warm, room temperature, and even cold the next day (or two). In other words, it's the perfect holiday breakfast. - A&M
There are many doughnuts in the world to love. But few are as plump and sugared, slight in weight, and brashly fragrant as the cardamom doughnuts from Bluebird Coffee Shop in the East Village. They're a baked doughnut, which makes them even more dangerously accessible. You make the dough the night before, and it will seem impossibly wet -- the key to fluffy doughnuts. The next morning you do a little shaping and spritzing and dipping into chopped pistachios, and you are near the finish line. - Amanda
Feeding the Saints aptly describes these individual little quiches as "light and cheerful." We love the delicate flavor of leeks, and crisp, airy puff pastry is a nice change from a more traditional short crust; lemon zest and ouzo lend just the right mix of lift and fragrance. We especially love the slabs of feta that, instead of being crumbled into the egg mixture, are laid gently across the top of each quiche before baking. Chilling the quiches for about twenty minutes before baking will help the pastry puff nicely and get nice and crisp. - A&M
CINNAMON SUGAR BREAKFAST PUFFS
These puffs are like the best doughnut holes you've ever eaten. Cakey and light, with crisp edges and a crunchy blanket of cinnamon sugar, they're gently spiced, with a murmur of orange zest in the background. Brown butter gives them an especially rich, nutty flavor. Don't skip the quick dip in melted butter before you roll them in the sugar -- and make sure to enjoy these while they're still warm! - A&M
DON'T HOLD THE ANYTHING BREAKFAST BREAD PUDDING
You'll never have to worry about picking sweet or savory at breakfast again. This bread pudding combines the best of both worlds into a delicious, easy-to-make breakfast. It's a balance of sweet and savory wrapped into one delicious, rich package. Feel free to play around with the cream cheese and sage to get it just right for your tastes - biffbourgeois
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