It might sound strange but I only make breakfast casseroles during December. It's the only time of the year when I have to make breakfast for a large crowd and what could be easier than a casserole? Overnight gingerbread french toast is usually my go-to but this year I wanted a savory brunch dish. Here enters a breakfast croissant sandwich bake! Imagine a buttery croissant sandwiched with ricotta chive scrambled eggs, apricot jam, prosciutto, and gouda cheese, and that's what you have here. Perfect for feeding a crowd!
Breakfast Croissant Sandwich Bake
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 12 large eggs beaten
- ¾ cup ricotta
- 1 tablespoon chopped chives
- salt and pepper
- 8 croissants halved
- ½ cup apricot jam
- ½ cup dijon mustard
- 16 slices prosciutto or good quality ham
- 8 slices gouda cheese
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- ¼ cup grated parmesan
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Soft scramble eggs, removing from heat when the eggs are just beginning to set but are still wet. Stir in ricotta and chives, and season with salt and pepper. Let cool slightly.
- Spread apricot jam on the bottom halves of each croissant. Spread dijon mustard on the top halved. Arrange bottom halves on preparing baking sheet. Pile two slices of prosciutto on top followed by scrambled eggs, and a slice of gouda per croissant. Top with remaining croissant half.
- Combine parmesan and black pepper in a small bowl. Brush tops of croissants with butter and sprinkle parmesan pepper mixture on top. Bake sandwiches for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from heat and serve immediately.
**Helpful tips and common mistakes
When I had the idea to make a breakfast croissant sandwich bake, I knew I didn't want to make strata. I wanted eggs layered in the sandwich rather than pouring an egg mixture over them. Yes, you're essentially making breakfast sandwiches. But because they're baked, you can assemble them beforehand and serve a big crowd at once.
The risk with having scrambled eggs in the sandwich is that it can get rubbery if overcooked. However, if you soft scramble the eggs, you can avoid this problem. Stirring in ricotta also helps keep the eggs nice and creamy.
When I buy croissants from the market, I have to toast them before eating them. They're infinitely better when they come hot out of the oven. In this case, it actually works in our favor that store-bought croissants are a bit soft. That way, they'll have a chance to crisp up perfectly.
Cut the croissants in half and spread a generous amount of apricot jam on one side. Then, spread dijon mustard on the other half. If you don't like mustard, you can skip it entirely. However, I think dijon and apricot jam go hand in hand.
Top the bottom croissant with two slices of prosciutto or good-quality sliced ham. Two slices don't seem like a lot but prosciutto is very salty so a little goes a long way.
Pile on the scrambled ricotta chive eggs on top followed by sliced gouda.
Top the sandwiches with the remaining croissant half and brush the tops with butter. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese and black pepper mixture on top for a little cacio-e-pepe flavor.
Then, pop the breakfast croissant sandwiches in the oven and bake until golden brown, about 15-18 minutes.
If you like, you can even make a batch of this breakfast croissant sandwich bake and freeze it for later. Wrap the sandwiches individually and freeze them for up to 1 month. To reheat them, just pop them in the oven for the best results.
I'm not going to lie, I was amazed at how delicious these sandwiches were. The apricot jam with the prosciutto, creamy eggs, nutty gouda, and mustard work incredibly well together. Feed these to a group and hopefully, they'll think so too!
For more breakfast sandwich inspiration check out this braised pork belly breakfast biscuit sandwich!
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