This Savory Bread Is the Perfect Breakfast in Advance.
A full hot breakfast every day before work can change your life. Eggs, toast, cheese, maybe some bacon are what kids call “hashtag targets.” My morning routine usually consists of burning coffee and clementine, which I forgot about, but I deserve more. While quick breakfasts so often err in favor of the sweet – muffins, doughnuts, bodega honey buns – I wanted a warm, delicious meal with egg added. My perfect weekday breakfast is quick to heat up and eat, requires minimal cleaning, and is completely satisfying. Here’s a delicious breakfast pie.
Most “perfect” breakfasts revolve around a few basic ingredients; mine includes eggs, bacon and bread. From there, I can add seasonings and any number of additional ingredients such as cheese or green vegetables. Taking the example of the Scottish egg, I wanted something very savory with a whole egg in the middle. But instead of wrapping the hard-boiled eggs in sausage, I dipped them in cheese bread and garnished with crispy bacon. It’s simple and easy to share – perfect for both a healthy family breakfast and a hungover brunch with friends. It’s also an ingenious way to prepare food: keep it in the fridge and cut yourself a thick slice before you go. Put it in the microwave for 15 seconds and you’ve got a post-modern BEC.
This recipe includes seasonings that I love, but think of the savory quickbread base as a blank canvas for your favorite flavors. If you don’t like green onions, replace them with dry minced garlic or some thyme. Hate cayenne? Drop it. Must be Sazon? Add a couple of teaspoons. Be picky about mixing “hydrated” ingredients like raw chopped vegetables or meats. Most of them have a high water content, which, if added as is, will evaporate inside the loaf, creating a moist air bubble, a slightly sticky stain, and a hole in your bread. Preparing your add-ons in advance also helps with texture; a harder ingredient, such as a broccoli floret stalk, may not cook to the desired doneness without a push. (My recipe mixes some of the bacon into the batter, but only after I’ve fried it until it’s crispy.)
Fry chopped onions, ham, mushrooms, etc. in a pan with a little oil until the excess water has evaporated. Set the pre-cooked ingredients aside to cool, then carefully fold them in the last step after the dry ingredients have been moistened.
Savory Breakfast Pie (yield: 1 8.5″ x 4.5″ bread pan)
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons dried green onions
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 strips of bacon (fully cooked and chopped)
- ¾ cup grated cheddar
- 3 tablespoons butter (melted)
- 1 cup buttermilk (room temperature)
- 1 egg (raw, room temperature)
- 4 eggs (boiled to desired doneness and peeled)
- 7 strips of bacon (steamed)
Preheat oven to 375℉. Prepare a loaf tin, grease the sides and bottom with oil, then place a piece of parchment paper inside so that some of the paper hangs from the edges. Prepare 4 boiled and peeled eggs and partially cooked bacon strips.
In a medium bowl, mix the first 10 ingredients until evenly distributed. In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the melted butter, buttermilk, and one raw egg.
Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Using a spoon or spatula, gently stir until the dry ingredients are slightly moistened. If you are adding pre-cooked vegetables, add them to the mixture now.
Quickly spread a third of the mixture evenly over the bottom of the prepared bread pan. Place four boiled eggs, side by side or whichever works best, on top of the batter. They will become the center of your bread. Then spread the remaining two-thirds of the batter over the eggs, making sure the mixture completely covers the top of the egg and also runs as much as possible down the sides and between the eggs. It should connect with the first amount of dough you put on the bottom.
Arrange seven fried strips of bacon on top of the loaf in a fancy houndstooth pattern (or whatever you prefer). Place the loaf in the oven immediately and bake at 375℉ for 35 minutes. The loaf should rise from the top, bounce when touched and turn brown, and the bacon strips should be browned. Carefully remove the loaf from the pan by grasping the dangling parchment paper and let cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes or cool completely before storing for a week.
Enjoy fresh out of the oven (I like it with a little hot sauce) or store wrapped in the refrigerator for up to six days. Microwave 1-inch slices in 15-second increments (boiled eggs like to explode if microwaved too long), or reheat the entire loaf in the oven, covered with foil, and reheat at 350℉ for about 15 minutes.