Gateaux1

Your favorite fast food breakfast reimagined! Crispy, chewy English Muffins baked with eggs, breakfast sausage and cheddar cheese for a delicious egg bake that will be a hit with a crowd! Serve with maple syrup and a side of hash browns and skip the drive thru!

A couple of weeks ago I added a recipe for a Bacon & Egg McMuffin bake which was an awesome play on the delicious breakfast sandwich from McDonald’s. Since then I have done a bit more refining of the recipe and have actually added an extra layer of eggs to the mix too! The result is and even more authentically delicious breakfast bake! This weekend I am doing a final recipe test on the Sausage McGriddle bake and my hash brown recipe I’ve been working on. Also Monday morning you can log on to find an amazingly authentic In ‘n Out experience.

Still to come… a bacon, egg and cheese bagel bake and a sausage and egg mcgriddle bake!

Let’s talk kitchen tools for a second, I have been getting a fair number of emails asking for more information about what kinds of pots and pans I recommend. I am going to make a page that details my favorite pieces for you all, but until then here are a few tips for this recipe.

You can make this a one pot meal if you use a sturdy oven-proof pan. My favorite is my trusty cast iron skillet. I use it on a daily basis, so much in fact I usually don’t even put it back in the cupboard. I clean it and put it back on the stovetop for the next time I use it. Given how heavy it is, it works pretty well for me this way. You can also use a normal oven-safe skillet (many are available for a low cost) or even a pyrex pan (I have this glass set, you can’t find a set any cheaper/more utilitarian than this one) instead. For a nice square/rectangular metal pan,  You will need a skillet for cooking the sausage and eggs but the baking can certainly be done separately. I just like being able to use less cookware when possible.

If you are looking at my photos and see a gold finish to my pans you are seeing a line from Williams-Sonoma called Goldtouch (no advertisement for them here, just love). It is professional quality bakeware that I have been using with clients for years. It took me 6 years to spring for a new set as I had worn out my old ones from VERY heavy use. Think high heat roasting on an almost daily basis. So most of the ones you will see in photos now are very new and shiny. I imagine as the blog matures the pans will as well. Please don’t think you need these pans to make your dishes come out tasty and beautiful. Likewise, you don’t need my set of All-Clad to sear a piece of meat perfectly. So when I link you guys to products you can use I will usually link to either the exact item I use or if something I use is very expensive I will let you know of great, less expensive alternatives.

Cook sausage on high heat, you want the color on the outside, the rest will bake through in the oven. Remove from pan, let cool and slice into chunks. Drain/wipe fat from pan if you would like to use butter to cook the eggs. If you want to cook them in sausage fat instead, drain all but about a tablespoon and heat the pan on medium high.Break 6 eggs into a bowl, add them to the pan and poke the yolks. Stir a bit just to spread the yolks around a bit.
Cook until just set and remove from pan. Spray either your cast iron skillet or 8×8 inch pan with cooking spray. Cut the English muffins into chunks and toast at 375 degrees until slightly browned and crispy, about 7-9 minutes. Whisk the rest of the eggs, milk, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl. Add toasted English Muffin chunks, eggs, sausage and cheese in layers to your pan. Pour the egg mixture over it evenly. Bake for 45-50 minutes. Enjoy with Maple syrup!

 A non-traditional but fun option for a complete McDonalds-esque meal would be adding some tater tots to the mix. I would add them as the second to last layer, just under the cheese before baking. Or just cook them off on a pan in the oven the last 15 minutes this is baking!