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Winter is the time to hunker down, get some cozy clothes on, and relax with a giant cup of coffee and a lovely warm breakfast. If you’re trying to find some breakfast inspiration, look no further! Whether you like cinnamon rolls, coffee cake, or you’re more of a traditional gal, we’ve got you covered with the best wintry breakfasts.
PrintHam & Swiss Egg Casserole
Thank you Taste of Home for the recipe!
Ingredients
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16 large eggs
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2 cups 2% milk
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½ tsp salt
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¼ tsp ground nutmeg
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4 cups shredded Swiss cheese
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8 oz. sliced deli ham (chopped)
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4 croissants (torn into 1 + ½-inch pieces)
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1 Tbsp minced chives
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350°F.
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Whisk the eggs, milk, salt, and nutmeg together. Sprinkle the cheese and the ham into a greased 13×9-inch baking dish or pan and pour in the egg mixture. Sprinkle the croissant pieces over the top.
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Bake, uncovered, until the pastry is puffed and golden brown, 35-40 minutes. Sprinkle with chives and let it stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Cranberry Orange Muffins
Thank you Camille Styles for the recipe!
Ingredients
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¾ cup dried cranberries
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1 cup boiling water
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4 Tbsp butter (softened)
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¾ cup sugar
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2 large eggs
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1 Tbsp vanilla extract
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½ cup plain full-fat Greek yogurt (room temperature)
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Zest from 2 oranges
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1 + ¼ cups all-purpose flour
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1 cup whole wheat flour
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1 + ½ tsp baking soda
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½ tsp salt
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Coarse sparkling sugar (for garnish)
Glaze:
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1 cup confectioner’s sugar
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2 Tbsp orange juice
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a 12-cup muffin tin with liners.
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In a small bowl, pour the boiling water over the cranberries and let them soak for 30 minutes.
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Meanwhile, beat the butter and sugar together in a stand mixer until the mixture is almost white and very fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla, yogurt, and zest. Beat well to combine.
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Sprinkle the dry ingredients over, whisk the dry ingredients gently together, then mix everything just until combined.
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Drain the cranberries, wringing out excess water with a kitchen towel. Add the cranberries to the batter and use a spatula to fold them in.
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Transfer the batter to a muffin tin by dumping a heaping ¼ cup into each layer. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with coarse sanding sugar. Bake for 20 minutes.
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Meanwhile, make the glaze by whisking the confectioners’ sugar and orange juice together. Use more sugar to thicken and more juice to thin.
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Remove the muffins from the oven immediately and take them out of the muffin tin. Cool the muffins on the baking rack, then drizzle the glaze on them.
Caramel-Pecan Monkey Bread
Thank you Taste of Home for the recipe!
Ingredients
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1 package active dry yeast
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¼ cup warm water
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5 Tbsp + ½ cup butter
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1 + ¼ cups 2% milk
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2 large eggs (room temperature)
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1 + ¼ cups sugar
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1 tsp salt
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5 cups all-purpose flour
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1 tsp ground cinnamon
Caramel:
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⅔ cup packed brown sugar
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¼ cup butter (cubed)
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¼ cup heavy whipping cream
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¾ chopped pecans
Glaze:
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4 oz. cream cheese (softened)
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¼ cup butter (softened)
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1 + ½ cups confectioner’s sugar
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3-5 Tbsp 2% milk
Instructions
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Dissolve the yeast in warm water. Melt 5 tablespoons of butter and add the milk, eggs, and melted butter into a bowl. Stir in ¼ cup of sugar, salt, and 3 cups of flour. Beat the mixture on medium speed for 3 minutes and stir in enough of the remaining flour to form a firm dough.
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Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead until it’s smooth and elastic — 6-8 minutes. Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning it once to grease the top. Refrigerate, covered, overnight.
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In the morning, punch the dough down and shape it into ~40 balls. Melt the remaining ½ cup of butter. In a shallow bowl, combine the cinnamon and the remaining 1 cup of sugar. Dip the balls into the butter then roll them in the sugar mixture.
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To make the caramel mixture, bring the brown sugar, butter, and cream to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir for 3 minutes. Pour half of the caramel into a greased 10-inch fluted tube pan and layer half of it with the pecans and half with the dough balls. Cover and let it rise until it’s doubled, about 45 minutes.
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Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake until it’s golden brown, 30-40 minutes. Cover loosely with a foil for the last 10 minutes if the top browns too quickly. Cool for 10 minutes before inverting it onto a serving plate.
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For the optional glaze, beat the cream cheese and butter until it’s blended. Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar and add enough milk to reach the desired consistency. Drizzle the glaze over the warm bread.
Ricotta Berry French Toast Casserole
Thank you Pinch of Yum for the recipe!
Ingredients
Brioche Dough:
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4 eggs (beaten, room temperature)
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¾ cup butter (melted)
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¾ cup warm water
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¼ cup honey
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2 tsp salt
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1 + ½ tsp dry active yeast
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4 cups flour
French Toast Casserole Filling:
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3 eggs
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1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
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¼ cup honey or maple syrup
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1-2 cups raspberries or blueberries
Instructions
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Mix the eggs, butter, water, honey, salt, and yeast in a bowl. Add the flour and stir until just combined. Cover the bowl with plastic and set aside for 2 hours, or until the mixture is puffy and sticky. Split the dough in half and freeze one half for later.
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Coat your hands and your work surface with flour and roll out the remaining half batch. Cut it into bite-sized pieces.
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Preheat the oven to 350°F. Whisk the eggs with ricotta cheese and honey. Add the bite-sized dough pieces and the berries and stir gently once or twice to combine.
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Transfer the mixture to a greased 9×13-inch casserole dish and bake for about 30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the insides are fully baked.
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To serve, sprinkle it with powdered sugar and syrup.
Bacon, Kale, and Egg Grandma Pie
Thank you PureWow for the recipe!
Ingredients
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2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (plus more for drizzling)
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Fine cornmeal (for dusting)
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Two 16-oz. balls of pizza dough (room temperature)
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2 oz. Gruyere cheese (coarsely grated)
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4-5 pieces thick-cut bacon
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½ large bunch kale (trimmed, chopped, or torn)
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Red pepper flakes
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Sea salt
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4 fresh eggs
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Smoked sea salt
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Freshly ground black pepper
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Chives
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 425°F and place the rack on the bottom of your oven. Brush a baking sheet with olive oil and sprinkle it lightly with cornmeal.
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Gently stretch the pizza dough with your hands, being careful to not break it or tear it. Press the dough into the pan, stretching it to fill half of the tray into the corners. Repeat this with the other half of the dough so that the entire tray is covered. Press the dough together lightly to create a seam. Top the dough with the cheese, bacon, kale, and a generous pinch of red pepper flakes. Drizzle everything with olive oil and sprinkle it with sea salt.
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Bake the dough for about 8 minutes. The bacon should be crispy and the kale should be wilted, but not too dark.
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Open the oven door, pull the rack out, and crack the eggs onto the pizza. Bake until the egg whites are set and the yolks are still slightly soft, 5-7 minutes. Drizzle with more olive oil and sprinkle smoked sea salt, black pepper, and chives. Serve warm.
Chocolate Banana Bread Babka
Thank you PureWow for the recipe!
Ingredients
Dough:
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⅔ cup whole milk
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2 + ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
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¾ cup whole-wheat flour
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⅓ cup light brown sugar
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2 tsp instant yeast
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½ tsp fine sea salt
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½ tsp ground cinnamon
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2 medium ripe bananas (mashed)
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1 large egg
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1 large egg yolk
Filling:
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½ cup heavy cream
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6 Tbsp unsalted butter
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½ cup light brown sugar
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5 oz. bittersweet chocolate (finely chopped)
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1 + ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
Streusel:
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½ cup all-purpose flour
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¼ cup light brown sugar
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2 Tbsp cocoa powder
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½ tsp fine sea salt
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5 Tbsp unsalted butter (melted)
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1 medium ripe banana (finely chopped)
Instructions
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In a small pot, heat the milk for the dough over medium heat until it’s just warm to the touch, about 2 minutes. Check the temperature, it should be about 95°F.
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In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, mix the all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, brown sugar, yeast, salt, and cinnamon on low to combine. Add the warm milk, mashed bananas, and eggs. Mix on low for 3 minutes. Increase the speed to medium and mix for 2 more minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm place for an hour.
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Meanwhile, make the filling. In a medium pot, combine the heavy cream, butter, brown sugar, chocolate, and vanilla extract. Heat the mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until the chocolate and the butter are melted and the sugar has dissolved, about 3 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and let it cool to a spreadable consistency.
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In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Add the melted butter and stir with a silicone spatula until the mixture forms moist crumbs, Gently stir in the banana pieces.
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When the dough has risen slightly, lightly grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a rectangle about 14 x 18-inches. Dollop the filling all over the dough, using an offset spatula to spread it into an even layer across the dough all the way to the edges. Sprinkle three-quarters of the streusel evenly over the filling.
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Starting on the shorter sides, roll the dough into a tight spiraled log, Use a bench scraper or a knife to cut the log in half lengthwise. Twist the two halves together, then transfer them to a prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle the remaining streusel over the loaf. Cover it with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place until it looks noticeably puffy, about 35-40 minutes.
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Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the loaf until it has browned on the surface and appears fully set all the way through.
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Let the loaf cool inside the pan for 20 minutes, then unmold it onto a wire rack and cool completely before slicing and serving.
Which wintry breakfast are you going to make first? Comment below!
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