When a night owl has to make breakfast

December 21, 2024 by
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I am not a morning person. Ever since I can remember, I have preferred to stay up late and sleep in the next morning. Making it to the office on time has always been a struggle, and although I have done it for decades, it never seems to get easier. So when I have to make breakfast for guests, I employ a make-ahead strategy so I don’t have to think too hard first thing in the morning. It took me longer than it should have to figure this out, but not only does it help this night owl seem more like a morning person, the food is great.

Caramelized onion, spinach and Gruyere strata with sauteed cherry tomatoes from Food Network by Bobby Flay and Food Network Magazine

There are three basic items in this make-ahead breakfast repertoire. First, and always a crowd-pleaser, is a breakfast strata. Popular on Christmas morning, strata allows you to spend more time visiting with family or unwrapping presents than on fussing with the meal. You can switch it up to accommodate a wide range of preferences. My secret weapon is to whizz up a bit of roasted red pepper with the eggs and milk to give the strata more pizzazz.

The other two items are on the sweeter side: yeasted waffles and cinnamon rolls. It’s hard to beat Marion Cunningham’s yeast-raised waffles. The recipe is so good it has been published in multiple magazines, websites, and cookbooks including Food52 Genius Recipes, because it is, indeed, a genius recipe. Making waffles first thing in the morning can be a challenge (at least it is for me), but at least you don’t have to do all of the measuring and mixing; you can just pop the batter right into the waffle iron. While you might not think of cinnamon rolls/buns as a good make ahead option, Peter Reinhart’s The Bread Baker’s Apprentice includes instructions on holding the dough in the refrigerator. Discovering that nugget was a game-changer. If any of our Members has another great make-ahead breakfast dish, I would love to learn about it.

Category: Antipasto

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6 Comments

  • Foodycat  on  December 22, 2024

    I’ve done cinnamon rolls with a slow overnight rise in the fridge a few times – always successful!

  • pokarekare  on  December 22, 2024

    So would I! I do like a good breakfast, but am not a morning person, so usually have to skimp. I would love recipes that I can pop in the oven the night before, with the automatic function on, so I can wake up to a fully cooked breakfast ready to serve.

  • anya_sf  on  December 22, 2024

    You can prep scones the night before and either refrigerate or freeze them, then bake the next morning. Most muffin batters can also be prepared the night before, refrigerated, then scooped and baked in the morning.

  • anya_sf  on  December 22, 2024

    Even better, most quickbreads like banana bread are just as good or better the day after baking.

  • Kinhawaii  on  December 26, 2024

    I’m not a morning person either. I’ve seen anya_sf comments on muffins & scones in the notes which have been very helpful! I’ve served brunches with savory stratas & this sweet lemon bread pudding that is refrigerated overnight in Lori Longbotham’s ‘Lemon Zest’ book. I guess other bread puddings would work. Also have done the board equivalent of a bagel buffet-& made spreads the day before. I haven’t tried rolls yet but have done pizza dough. I haven’t made a breakfast pizza yet but I wouldn’t mind eating one.

  • reader1trees  on  December 26, 2024

    Nigella Lawson’s Moonblush Tomatoes might be quite useful for this. She designed the recipe to use residual oven heat so you prepare the tomatoes, pop the tray into the oven, immediately turn it off and leave them alone until the following morning. She also has a meringue cookie that uses the same strategy and both are available on her website which doesn’t have a paywall.

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