When you think of the perfect holiday morning, you probably think of family or friends gathered together, mugs of warm beverages, enticing smells, candles, fronds of evergreen, and a winter scene out the window. You do not envision standing over a stove, sweating and cooking like a frenzied short order cook. It’s possible to have a beautiful holiday breakfast without spending the entire morning in the kitchen. Use these ideas for make-ahead breakfasts and you can sit back and enjoy the company.
Scones
There’s something about scones that makes them more elegant and upscale than other breakfast breads. Bake a batch of scones up to a week in advance and freeze, then defrost and reheat in the morning. You can also make and shape scone dough the evening before and bake it fresh the following morning. Your basic scone recipe can easily be tweaked to be festive with the addition of cinnamon and nutmeg, white chocolate chunks, dried cranberries, or pecans. Serve some whipped cream and strawberry jam on the side and you’ve got a luscious spread.
Cinnamon Rolls
Nothing says extravagance like cinnamon rolls, but you’re not about to get up before dawn to work with yeast. Prepare the dough the two days before and let it rise in the fridge. Then all you have to do is roll and slice the rolls before a final overnight rise in the fridge. Pop them in the oven when you wake up in the morning. Make the icing the day before, too, and pull it out to come to temperature when you put the rolls in the oven. Pour it over the hot rolls for a gooey and sticky treat.
Breakfast Casseroles
Baking a breakfast casserole the day before and refrigerating it means all you have to do in the morning is heat it up to have a complete breakfast. There are tons of options. You could start with a layer of hash browns, English muffins, or Texas toast. Add veggies like spinach and tomato, chilies and cooked diced butternut squash, or mushrooms and peppers. Ham, Canadian bacon, or crumbled sausage with cheese of your choice (Swiss, cheddar, or Monterey Jack) will blend well with the scrambled egg and milk mixture you pour over it all. A bowl of berries is the perfect accompaniment.
Overnight French Toast
This dish is so incredibly easy but oh so good. Spray a glass baking dish and mix up eggs with cream or eggnog and add flavors like vanilla, peppermint, or orange extract along with cinnamon or nutmeg. Pour half in the pan. Place thick slices of brioche (or get creative and use banana bread) on top and pour the rest of the egg mixture over it. Sprinkle with some nuts if you like. Refrigerate overnight then pop it in the oven when you get up in the morning. Serve with powdered sugar and warm maple syrup.