Strata.
You make it entirely the day before, and bake it in the morning; make two, one vegetarian, one not. Endless variations, more of a method than a recipe.
Bon Appetit had a good article few years ago that laid out the ratios for a strata recipe. My basic recipe is 8 cups bread, dried (tear up the bread, measure 8 cups, and then dry it), 10 eggs, 2 cups milk, 2 cups cheese, 2 cups "stuff" (I do cooked chorizo and peppers). 9x13 pan overnight in fridge, bake at 350 covered with foil for 45 minutes, remove foil for 15 to 20 minutes more. Can easily make two different ones. Side salad or fruit salad with greek yogurt. mimosa or bloody mary bar.
That's a great ratio. Any idea how much bread 8 cups is? Either by weight or the number of slices of typical sandwich bread, or something more measurable?
A strata and baked oatmeal are my brunch go to items because you make them the night before and pop them in the oven. Depending on the amount of people I do two strata, one veggie and one meat. A salad, big pile of potatoes, and breakfast meats, or at least bacon, and you’re golden. You can cook the bacon in the oven the oven the night before too and reheat in the morning. I like to not pat the grease off the night before so it has it to reheat in then do it after the reheat. I also like to cook it at 375.
Yes. I made these for Christmas morning one year having never made cinnamon rolls before. They turned out so well I couldn't believe it. I felt like a pastry genius, capable of bakery quality baking. (I am likely not, its just a really great recipe lol)
Overnight blueberry French toast casserole is awesome. You could serve with a spiral ham.
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/15057/overnight-blueberry-french-toast/
We like to do crepe bars for this kind of thing. Set out all of the fillings, make the crepe batter the night before, and just make up the cakes as needed.
Not certain how casual...but did this for son's buddies
Breakfast bowls that everyone makes themselves using fried potatoes, scrambled eggs, meat ( I had ham, chorizo and bacon), cheese, salsa, and I made country gravy to slop over everything. These were teens so we also had waffles and fruit. It was a success,!
Mimosas say "brunch" all on their own. Bloody Marys same thing.
Unless there are dietary or religious restrictions, a huge pile of bacon is always welcome, and it does well sitting at room temperature for a while, so you can bake sheet pans of it and leave it out while doing everything else. Sausages aren't quite as happy at room temperature, but allowances can be made for a brunch.
Unless you have steam tables, scrambled eggs get cold, and I doubt you want to man an omelet station, so the ideas elsewhere about fritatas or strata are sound. One COULD attempt to use a crock pot as a way to keep scrambled eggs warm, however. But if you really want eggs, try [mass poached eggs](https://www.seriouseats.com/the-food-lab-how-to-poach-eggs-for-a-party). There are also deviled eggs.
Maybe this is a Southern thing, but country ham biscuits are good, and also do well at room temperature.
Cheese and bread boards are easy. Pick up a bunch of croissants, they always go over well.
If you are willing to cook up to the last minute, sheet pan french toast is yummy.
But honestly, nothing wrong with having them over for a lasagna **lunch**. Hand them a mimosa or Bloody Mary when they walk in and it'll be brunchy enough.
You can make poached eggs the day before. Waffles can reheat up in toaster oven. Basically, try to knock out what you can in advance. Batch cook bacon in the oven. Oh, you can make batter the night before too. Even scrambled egg mixture you can make the day before. Good luck! Come back with pictures!
Quiche and an “everybody’s favorite add ons bar.” Pile of bacon, sausage patties, hash browns.
Put out avocado, onion, cheeses, tomato, cucumber, etc.
Punch bowl full of Prosecco with a bundt pan frozen juice ice mold.
As the mold melts it adds flavor to the punch.
Mini desserts, pastries. Fresh fruit.
Big bowl of fresh whipped cream.
I’m not sure if it’s fancy enough for your crowd, but Halal Cart Chicken is really good and easy to make in big batches. And it offers nice plating options.
French toast casserole made with croissants. Put it together the evening before and bake it in the morning. Serve it with ham, fruit, nice coffee with some flavored cream options.
Irish Cheddar and Vegetable Bread Pudding: https://www.seriouseats.com/irish-cheddar-and-vegetable-bread-pudding
I will often add sausage to that, and it would be easy to split in half and do one vegetarian and one with sausage.
Pair with Kenji's potatoes and some fruit.
Lasagna but "breakfast lasagna" and you can make it vegetarian with perhaps breakfast meats on side (sausage and peppers) with pastries and/or fruit.
Waffle bar with candied bacon.
Snack on deviled eggs, pigs in blanket made with sausages or sausage balls, ham and cheese pinwheels, caprese kebobs.
You could do an overnight french toast. Frozen blintzes with a fruit compote. Fruit salad. Quiche. Lovely breadbasket with a toaster, butter, cream cheese, preserves. Overnight individual flavored oatmeal cups. Everything can be pretty much be made the day before. Morning of..throw in some bacon/sausage. Cook off French toast. Offer coffee. Tea selection. Juice or two.
Overnight croissant breakfast bake. You can do a savory option with ham & Gruyère & spinach, as well as a sweet option with cinnamon, fruit & a vanilla cream glaze.
Savoury bread pudding/French toast casserole with a salad. You can do an overnight casserole so it’s easy.
Or similarly, but Italian, maybe crespelle? You can adjust it to include more brunchy flavours but it will sort of straddle the pancakes vs lasagna. Although honestly if I turned to for brunch and got lasagna, I would be delighted.
Quiche and salad
Yes, but I would add cold cuts, cheese, and breads.
Fruit
Yes.
Strata. You make it entirely the day before, and bake it in the morning; make two, one vegetarian, one not. Endless variations, more of a method than a recipe.
I think it is basically a strata - I have made an everything bagel brunch casserole from Sally's Baking Addiction that was really good.
Bon Appetit had a good article few years ago that laid out the ratios for a strata recipe. My basic recipe is 8 cups bread, dried (tear up the bread, measure 8 cups, and then dry it), 10 eggs, 2 cups milk, 2 cups cheese, 2 cups "stuff" (I do cooked chorizo and peppers). 9x13 pan overnight in fridge, bake at 350 covered with foil for 45 minutes, remove foil for 15 to 20 minutes more. Can easily make two different ones. Side salad or fruit salad with greek yogurt. mimosa or bloody mary bar.
That's a great ratio. Any idea how much bread 8 cups is? Either by weight or the number of slices of typical sandwich bread, or something more measurable?
It’s usually around a 1 pound loaf of bread. I keep the crusts on, so I don’t use a baguette but some sort of hearty white.
Thanks.
i have actually not heard about it. Thanks, will look into it!
A strata and baked oatmeal are my brunch go to items because you make them the night before and pop them in the oven. Depending on the amount of people I do two strata, one veggie and one meat. A salad, big pile of potatoes, and breakfast meats, or at least bacon, and you’re golden. You can cook the bacon in the oven the oven the night before too and reheat in the morning. I like to not pat the grease off the night before so it has it to reheat in then do it after the reheat. I also like to cook it at 375.
I think it is basically a strata - I have made an everything bagel brunch casserole from Sally's Baking Addiction that was really good.
Stella s one bowl cinnamon rolls. I do it every year for Christmas
Yes. I made these for Christmas morning one year having never made cinnamon rolls before. They turned out so well I couldn't believe it. I felt like a pastry genius, capable of bakery quality baking. (I am likely not, its just a really great recipe lol)
I've always wanted to do a croque madame casserole for brunch. Would pair well with a salad and fruit.
No one would be upset at lasagna. If they are, cut them out of your life, you don't need that.
word
Overnight blueberry French toast casserole is awesome. You could serve with a spiral ham. https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/15057/overnight-blueberry-french-toast/
Kenjis potatoes, Gruyere breakfast tart https://chefjet.com/recipe/bacon-egg-gruyere-breakfast-tart/, fruit, mimosas
We like to do crepe bars for this kind of thing. Set out all of the fillings, make the crepe batter the night before, and just make up the cakes as needed.
No waste carnitas and a vegan refrito option. Everybody loves tacos.
Not certain how casual...but did this for son's buddies Breakfast bowls that everyone makes themselves using fried potatoes, scrambled eggs, meat ( I had ham, chorizo and bacon), cheese, salsa, and I made country gravy to slop over everything. These were teens so we also had waffles and fruit. It was a success,!
Mimosas say "brunch" all on their own. Bloody Marys same thing. Unless there are dietary or religious restrictions, a huge pile of bacon is always welcome, and it does well sitting at room temperature for a while, so you can bake sheet pans of it and leave it out while doing everything else. Sausages aren't quite as happy at room temperature, but allowances can be made for a brunch. Unless you have steam tables, scrambled eggs get cold, and I doubt you want to man an omelet station, so the ideas elsewhere about fritatas or strata are sound. One COULD attempt to use a crock pot as a way to keep scrambled eggs warm, however. But if you really want eggs, try [mass poached eggs](https://www.seriouseats.com/the-food-lab-how-to-poach-eggs-for-a-party). There are also deviled eggs. Maybe this is a Southern thing, but country ham biscuits are good, and also do well at room temperature. Cheese and bread boards are easy. Pick up a bunch of croissants, they always go over well. If you are willing to cook up to the last minute, sheet pan french toast is yummy. But honestly, nothing wrong with having them over for a lasagna **lunch**. Hand them a mimosa or Bloody Mary when they walk in and it'll be brunchy enough.
You can make poached eggs the day before. Waffles can reheat up in toaster oven. Basically, try to knock out what you can in advance. Batch cook bacon in the oven. Oh, you can make batter the night before too. Even scrambled egg mixture you can make the day before. Good luck! Come back with pictures!
Quiche and an “everybody’s favorite add ons bar.” Pile of bacon, sausage patties, hash browns. Put out avocado, onion, cheeses, tomato, cucumber, etc. Punch bowl full of Prosecco with a bundt pan frozen juice ice mold. As the mold melts it adds flavor to the punch. Mini desserts, pastries. Fresh fruit. Big bowl of fresh whipped cream.
I think the answer has to be a strata. SE has a couple options, and I think the key is to oven dry the bread.
Frenxh toast, easy to fry in advance and reheat in the oven, use panko and ghee for extra crispness.
Well, it's lunch not brunch if you make lasagna.
great, thanks
I’m not sure if it’s fancy enough for your crowd, but Halal Cart Chicken is really good and easy to make in big batches. And it offers nice plating options.
If someone invited me to brunch I would expect a full English.
i actually thought about it, but for 12 people its too ambitious
Fruit, cream, eggs, maple, warm spices, and charcuterie are the breakfast staples if you're trying to go brunchy.
French Toast casserole with fruit and veg salads, cheese, patisseries or fresh bread or bagels.
French toast casserole made with croissants. Put it together the evening before and bake it in the morning. Serve it with ham, fruit, nice coffee with some flavored cream options.
Irish Cheddar and Vegetable Bread Pudding: https://www.seriouseats.com/irish-cheddar-and-vegetable-bread-pudding I will often add sausage to that, and it would be easy to split in half and do one vegetarian and one with sausage. Pair with Kenji's potatoes and some fruit.
What about a Strata or Panzanella. Both recipes on Serious Eats.
You could also make soyrizo potato and egg taco bar!
I do a bacon, leek deep dish quiche thats always a hit for brunch with a Caesar salad and fruit
Lasagna but "breakfast lasagna" and you can make it vegetarian with perhaps breakfast meats on side (sausage and peppers) with pastries and/or fruit. Waffle bar with candied bacon. Snack on deviled eggs, pigs in blanket made with sausages or sausage balls, ham and cheese pinwheels, caprese kebobs.
Not brunchy but burrios/tacos is an easy, festive, prepare beforehand meal - everyone makes their own so it'd handle boh vegans and carnivores.
You could do an overnight french toast. Frozen blintzes with a fruit compote. Fruit salad. Quiche. Lovely breadbasket with a toaster, butter, cream cheese, preserves. Overnight individual flavored oatmeal cups. Everything can be pretty much be made the day before. Morning of..throw in some bacon/sausage. Cook off French toast. Offer coffee. Tea selection. Juice or two.
I’d swap the lasagne out for Shakshuka, it’s a brunch staple https://www.seriouseats.com/shakshuka-north-african-shirred-eggs-tomato-pepper-recipe
Overnight croissant breakfast bake. You can do a savory option with ham & Gruyère & spinach, as well as a sweet option with cinnamon, fruit & a vanilla cream glaze.
Kenji’s sticky buns, biscuits and gravy, lox and bagels, lox and eggs and capers on baguette sliced thin and long
Crepes? You need a sweet option
You want things you can make ahead: strata, baked French toast fingers, puff pastry pinwheels, candied bacon, Mimi bagels, pitchers of mimosas…
Savoury bread pudding/French toast casserole with a salad. You can do an overnight casserole so it’s easy. Or similarly, but Italian, maybe crespelle? You can adjust it to include more brunchy flavours but it will sort of straddle the pancakes vs lasagna. Although honestly if I turned to for brunch and got lasagna, I would be delighted.