Breakfast Braid
This show-stopping dish features chewy-crisp bread stuffed with fluffy eggs, savory sausage, fiery tomatoes, and sharp cheddar cheese. The stuffed braid is easy to assemble, and makes an impressive breakfast/brunch centerpiece. And thanks to store-bought bread dough, it’s a cinch to prepare.
This is a sponsored post by Rhodes Bake-N-Serv.
My freezer is never without Rhodes frozen bread dough and frozen dinner rolls. I choose Rhodes because know the results will always be flawless. The outside of the bread/rolls is always toasty and crisp, and the inside is chewy and soft. Plus both the bread and rolls are endlessly versatile, inspiring a wide range of applications far beyond their original form. In this case, I stuffed the thawed dough with breakfast favorites and then folded over strips of dough to create a pretty braid. The best part is, it’s easy to do; this recipe is completely foolproof.
Pro tip about the bread dough. When using frozen bread dough, make sure to plan ahead. Follow the package instructions for thawing, whether you choose to do it overnight, or at room temperature.
What type of sausage should you use? I used mild breakfast sausage, but you can choose your favorite sausage product, including chicken, turkey, sweet Italian sausage, and hot Italian sausage. If you prefer vegan sausage, use that instead. You’ll need 1 pound of sausage without casings, and it needs to be browned before stuffing it into the dough with the eggs and cheese.
I used 4 eggs, but you can substitute egg whites. To substitute egg whites for whole eggs, use about 1 cup of whites. Or swap in 1/2 cup of whites for 2 whole eggs. Pro tip: Since the eggs are baked in the oven, make sure not to overcook them when you scramble them. Pull the eggs from the heat when they are just cooked and still moist.
About the tomatoes. I used mild Rotel diced tomatoes in the filling, but you can swap in the original version (which has a little kick) or the hot variety for more heat. You can also substitute one diced tomato if preferred.
Breakfast Braid
Ingredients
- 1 loaf Rhodes Thaw, Rise & Bake frozen bread dough, thawed overnight in the refrigerator, or according to package directions
- 16 ounces ground breakfast sausage
- 2 teaspoons olive oil, if needed
- 4 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 10- ounce can Rotel tomatoes, drained
- 2 green onions, chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, or use a nonstick baking sheet.
- Brown the sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking up the meat as it cooks. Transfer the sausage to a plate, leaving about 2 teaspoons of fat in the pan. If you don’t have 2 teaspoons of fat, add 2 teaspoons of olive to the pan and set the pan over medium heat.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Add the egg mixture to the pan and cook until fluffy and cooked, but still moist. Fold in the Rotel tomatoes and green onions and remove the pan from the heat. Season the eggs with salt and pepper.
- Roll the bread dough out into a rectangle, about 9×12-inches in diameter. Transfer the dough to the prepared pan.
- Spoon the sausage down the center of the dough lengthwise, leaving about 2-inches of dough on either side.
- Top the sausage with the egg mixture.
- Sprinkle the cheese over the eggs and sausage.
- Using a pizza cutter, cut the sides of the braid (the un-topped dough) into 12 to 15 strips, each about 3/4-inch to 1-inch wide. Lift the strips and fold them over the filling, alternating from side to side to create a braid. Pinch the ends of the braid together to seal.
- Brush the butter all over the dough.
- Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Cool for a few minutes before slicing and serving.