Having offered lots of options for a holiday feast, whether Thanksgiving or one of the other typically full-house holidays, I then turned my thoughts to an easy way to feed a group of guests in the morning. The recipe from this past Wednesday’s Berkshire Eagle column fits the bill, and, as an added bonus, any extra warms nicely in the microwave another day!

FULL HOUSE FULL HEART

by Elizabeth Baer

We are coming up on the time of year when many of us have a full house, not only for the holiday meals themselves, but also the next morning when everyone wakes up! It should come as no surprise to regular readers that I adore cooking for a house full of loved ones. And, perhaps, it is also obvious that I enjoy leftovers and what I can do with them. After all, my very first Berkshire Eagle column included three recipes to use Thanksgiving leftovers, aside from the turkey-stuffing-cranberry sauce sandwich that is always a favorite.

But what about breakfast? Leftover pie or another dessert is always an option, some would even say a requirement with coffee the morning after the holiday meal. In fact, one of my family’s birthday traditions is cake for breakfast the day after your birthday. But many of the leftovers from Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner aren’t quite what everyone wants for breakfast. And as people wake over the course of the morning, it’s nice to have something that readies easily without anyone having to act as a short-order cook!

This breakfast bake aims to combine everything for French toast and breakfast sausage into a one-pan meal, but using baked goods you can buy from a store. Family and friends have loved it with cider doughnuts as much as with supermarket croissants, and I’m guessing it would also work with muffins though I have yet to try that. (Let me know if you do!) I’ve most often used thin breakfast sausages that I cook first and then slice, but if you can get loose breakfast sausage that would work beautifully. Turkey or plant-based sausage can be used depending on dietary needs.

You want to be sure to assemble it the night before to allow the egg to absorb into the baked goods fully. And then you can sit back and enjoy a cup of coffee while this bakes in the oven as your guests stumble into the kitchen in the morning.

FULL HOUSE BREAKFAST BAKE

Serves 6-8

INGREDIENTS:

4 large supermarket croissants / 6 cider doughnuts (or other baked good), about 10-12 ounces total
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
6 breakfast sausage links or ½ pound bulk breakfast sausage (pork, turkey, or plant-based)
6 eggs
½ cup milk
2 teaspoons cinnamon sugar if using a plain baked good, omit with cider doughnuts

DIRECTIONS:

Begin this recipe the night before you want to serve it. It is also possible to cook the sausage a day or two before and keep in the refrigerator until the night before.

Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray or a thin coat of oil or butter, or use a nonstick pan. Tear the croissants or doughnuts into pieces and place in prepared pan.

Heat the oil in a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Brown the sausage links until cooked through, or break up the bulk sausage as you sauté until fully cooked. If using links, cut the cooked sausage into approximately ½-inch pieces. If using plant-based sausage, follow package instructions. Scatter the sausage crumbles or pieces over the croissants or doughnuts.

Scramble the eggs and milk together. Add the cinnamon sugar if using and whisk again. Pour over the croissants or doughnuts and sausage. Cover with foil and place in the refrigerator overnight.

The next morning, preheat oven to 350°F, remove the pan from the refrigerator, and uncover for 30-45 minutes before baking.

Before putting in the oven, press down on the mixture with a metal spatula. Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.

Serve with maple syrup and/or fruit and/or whipped cream.

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