Baked goods are so beloved for breakfast that bakeries crank their ovens on in the wee hours to make sure their cases are stocked with beautiful muffins, pastries, and quiches for the morning rush. We're not suggesting you wake up before the sun to accomplish breakfast, but there is definitely satisfaction in baking your way to the day's first meal. This collection of breakfast bakes includes lots of simple and make-ahead options for delicious morning dishes like smoky breakfast pizza, overnight French toast, and strata with sausage and cheese sauce. You might want to start preheating your oven.
Breakfast Egg Cups with Parsley Gremolata and Mushrooms
These elegant, savory herb-topped eggs bake up in a muffin pan, so it's easy to make breakfast or brunch for a few days — or for more than a few people. Serve any leftover breakfast egg cups sandwiched between buttered, toasted English muffins or brioche slices.
Orange Soufflé Coffee Cake
"I think of this as orange juice and eggs rolled into a single dish and puffed up with hot air," says food writer and cook Ruth Reichl of her light, satisfying breakfast cake. "I think it’s a perfect way to start the day. What I like most is its sheer simplicity; this cake is about as basic — and easy — as they come. But one word of warning: Don't open the oven too early. This cake will fall if provoked."
Sausage and Red Onion Sheet Pan Quiche
At Convivial in Washington, D.C., chef Cedric Maupillier's foot-long quiche takes this breakfast classic to the next level. This version, prepared in a rimmed baking sheet, makes plenty for the whole family.
Pain au Chocolat
Pain au chocolat, sometimes referred to as a chocolate croissant, means chocolate bread — and this recipe ensures that there's chocolate in every bite.
Polenta Dutch Baby with Ham and Swiss
A large-format pancake with a light, airy interior and rich, savory toppings, this Dutch baby is perfect for brunch. Add the toppings around the edges, leaving the center clear to allow it to rise properly. Preheating the pan is also crucial to a beautiful rise; the batter should begin to puff immediately after you pour it into the pan.
Blueberry and Meyer Lemon Breakfast Pastry
Baking up flaky and buttery in a few short minutes, frozen puff pastry is the secret to simple morning pastries. This sweet, easy breakfast pastry comes together without much planning. While the cream cheese filling and assembly are essential, feel free to play with your choice of fruit preserve in place of blueberry, or try adding a few chocolate chips if the occasion calls for it.
Overnight French Toast with Cranberries and Pecans
This stunning overnight French toast is the move for an effortless make-ahead brunch. After you've assembled it and let it chill overnight, all you have to do in the morning is top it with pecans, bake it, and finish it with powdered sugar. Allowing the challah slices to sit overnight in the egg mixture results in evenly soaked bread that remains irresistibly custardy as it bakes, while the top crisps up.
Smoky Breakfast Pizzas
Chef Justin Bazdarich makes his Kind Brother pizza at Speedy Romeo in Brooklyn extra decadent with a combination of bechamel and smoked mozzarella. This easy version also gets a kick from smoked mozzarella, plus a drizzle of fresh basil oil for a pop of freshness.
Brown Butter-Raspberry Baked Oatmeal
In this baked oatmeal, perfectly tender spiced oats mixed with sweet-tart fruit are topped with crisp coconut and pecans. The recipe calls for raspberries, but blackberries, blueberries, or sliced strawberries would work as well. Blooming the spices in the hot brown butter releases their flavors and infuses the entire dish with a nutty warmth.
Kielbasa, Apple, and Onion Strata with Mornay Sauce
In this hearty egg and bread casserole, smoky kielbasa, sweet apples, and nutty cheese combine to create a truly unforgettable breakfast dish that’s just right for a weekend. Serve it on its own, or go the extra mile and make a luscious cheese sauce to drizzle on top. And don’t forget the finishing touches of honey and salt — they highlight the flavor of the apples and cheese.
Cinnamon-Apple Babka
Tender, buttery pastry dough is wrapped around sliced apples that are seasoned with brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, and ginger for this fall breakfast treat.
Hashbrown Casserole
This savory, potato-and-cheese-laden casserole has just enough eggs to hold it together and make it creamy. It's baked for 35 to 40 minutes until just set.
Cinnamon Roses
This simple yeasted dough is soft and tender, yielding golden, tear-apart rolls. For the best “bloom,” tightly roll the dough and use unflavored floss to cut roses; it pinches the rolls less than using a knife.
Breakfast Potatoes
Round out any breakfast spread with a plate of savory and golden breakfast potatoes. These potatoes roast in the oven, so you can prepare the rest of your breakfast while they cook. Stuff them into a breakfast burrito or serve alongside dishes like eggs Benedict, French toast, or quiche Lorraine.
Toad in the Hole
This cheekily-named English comfort food combines two classics — bangers and Yorkshire pudding — baked in a cast-iron skillet for a half hour and served with a quick shallot gravy.
Cherry and Cream Cheese Kolaches
These kolaches are filled with homemade cherry filling, but you can also use any jam you have on hand.
Double Lemon Scones
Lemon–poppy seed cake meets scones in this delightful recipe from F&W culinary director at large Justin Chapple.
Za’atar Baked Eggs
In her teens, Top Chef judge Gail Simmons spent a summer on a kibbutz in Israel, working in her first professional kitchen. She was assigned to breakfast duty and fell in love with scrambling, poaching, and frying eggs by the dozens. "Today, one of my go-to brunches is baked eggs in a cherry tomato–pepper mix seasoned with the Mediterranean spice blend za'atar," she says. "It never fails to conjure happy memories of that magical time."
Raspberry-Swirl Sweet Rolls
You can make these fruit-swirled sweet rolls any time of the year by taking advantage of frozen raspberries. They're terrific in these soft, puffy yeast rolls — a fun variation on a cinnamon bun that's perfect for a special morning breakfast.
Eggs Baked Over Sautéed Mushrooms and Spinach
Butter-sautéed mushrooms, leeks, and spinach are topped with a just-set baked egg in this satisfying dish. Serve with whole-grain toast — and perhaps a glass of wine.
Smashed-Banana Bread
At Dovecote Café in Baltimore, this banana bread is one of many awesome baked goods served on a daily basis. The recipe comes from owner Aisha Pew’s mother, Gilda Bain-Pew, and includes super-ripe bananas and a hit of banana liqueur or rum.
Sesame Bagel Breakfast Casserole
The key to a long, leisurely brunch is not having to work too hard! This breakfast-sandwich-inspired casserole with sesame bagel pieces is best assembled the night before, allowing the bread to soak up the egg custard. Simply pop in the oven the next morning and sip on mimosas while it bakes.
Butterscotch Sticky Buns
"Over-the-top, sticky, gooey goodness — or, as I like to call it, 'love.'" That's how pastry chef Catherine Schimenti describes the thrilling moment she first dipped a warm sticky bun into sweet-salty butterscotch sauce. Schimenti flavors the sauce with a splash of Scotch for a touch of glamour.
Baked Eggs with Spinach, Asparagus, and Prosciutto
Bake the eggs, in their nests of crusty bread, until the whites are just set. When you cut into the egg, the still-liquid yolk acts as a sauce. If spicy food is your fancy, try serving a favorite salsa on the side.
Bacon, Tomato, and Cheddar Breakfast Bake with Eggs
This breakfast bake topped with runny eggs develops a terrific texture as it cooks slowly in a glass dish (which makes it easy to see when the bottom is perfectly browned). As one F&W editor remarked on tasting it, "I worship the crisp bottom and the chewy, moist bread."
Yukon Gold Potato, Leek, and Fromage Blanc Frittata
This recipe gets its extra-creamy texture from fromage blanc, an extremely soft cow's milk cheese with a sour cream-like tang. You're going to want to make two of these.
Light and Fluffy Baked Apple Pancake
Golden Delicious apples hold their shape after they're caramelized with sugar and maple syrup, making them a perfect choice for this clever, giant one-pan pancake.
Beaten Biscuit Breakfast Sandwich with Tomato Jam
Chef Marcus Samuelsson makes incredible biscuits, adding a little bit of nutty brown butter to amp up the flavor. He serves them warm, spread with tangy-sweet tomato jam, fried ham, and perfectly scrambled eggs with cheddar cheese.
Cardamom-Spiced Crumb Cake
This moist cake, topped with a generous layer of cardamom-spiced, pecan-dotted crumbs, makes for a fabulous breakfast or a lovely gift. Former F&W editor Kate Heddings has presented the cake along with the pan she baked it in, fresh-ground coffee beans, and a glass container of heavy cream.
Baked Eggs with Chorizo and Potatoes
Chef David Kinch loves to say that this hearty combination of crumbled chorizo, chunks of crispy potatoes, and eggs — all cooked together in a big cast-iron skillet — is his Mexican-Californian take on rösti, the classic Swiss fried-potato breakfast.
Broccoli-Rabe and Ricotta Frittata
Ricotta and blanching mellow the bite of broccoli rabe in this one-hour frittata.
Strawberry-Almond Scones
When making these scones, be sure to use whole wheat pastry flour, which is less dense than whole wheat flour. Mixing in some all-purpose white flour also lightens the texture of the scones, so they're more delicate and tender.
White House Honey-Oat Muffins
Chef Spike Mendelsohn was inspired by the beehive in the White House garden to make these lovely, not-too-sweet muffins. "I'm not a big breakfast eater, but I have muffins in my house right now," he says.
Spinach and Goat Cheese Quiche
Make your own pastry for this crowd-pleasing quiche with chopped, cooked spinach; egg custard; and goat cheese.
Blueberry Muffins with Crumb Topping
These muffins are easy to make: Simply mix the dry and wet ingredients separately, then combine them. Since the baking powder, which lightens the muffins, is activated by moisture, get the batter into the oven immediately. For soft edges, use liners; for crisp edges, use a well-greased, unlined pan. You can easily replace the blueberries with other kinds of fresh fruit, such as raspberries or peaches (chopped into small pieces).