Weekend breakfast is often one of Elldrew’s favourite meal time, it’s the chance to take things slow and cook up some homemade favourites (or guilty pleasures) like our Bacon Twisties or Breakfast Loaf. It’s also perfectly acceptable to cook and eat in your pj’s, with a large brew of coffee and fresh OJ, calorie counting all but forgotten. Last weekend we had friends staying and fancied something we could make before they arrived, but still had the satisfaction of a hearty Sunday breakfast. After some online research we came across a few savoury breakfast based muffin recipes, so decided to give it a try.
We’ve longed to try Craftsman and Wolves’ “Rebel Within” muffins, but a continent divides us and we don’t have nearly enough patience to try and replicate the original recipe. Instead we found a couple of quick and easy alternatives that were just as visually appealing, so we adapted the recipes to accommodate a gluten free requirement, and settled on these yummy bacon and egg muffins (two inspiration links at end of blog).
We made our muffins on the larger size, using individual ramekins, so we could serve one per person. When considering your cooking receptacle, remember each muffin needs to hold an egg and the batter mix. We used small eggs, as the conventional medium egg might have been a squeeze. The muffins keep for up to 3 days in the fridge, so make a few extras for a mid week treat and in fact, we are going to use quail eggs next time to make smaller cupcake sized ones for our next picnic.
INGREDIENTS (for 6):
- 4 rashers of bacon, chopped
- 2 medium eggs (for batter mix)
- 6 small eggs (for muffins)
- 1 packet of gluten free Pancake Mix (see notes below)
- 100g of mature/grated cheese, plus extra to sprinkle on top of muffins
- ½ bunch spring onions – chopped
- 1 tbsp Herbes de Provence (or your preferred fresh/dried herbs)
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 250ml buttermilk
- 50g softened butter
RECIPE:
- Preheat fan oven to 190°C.
- Grease and line your chosen baking receptacle (we used butter than a light sprinkle of flour then lined the sides with baking paper to stop any sticking).
- Fry the chopped bacon over medium-high heat until cooked through, but not crispy.
- In a large bowl, add the flour/pancake mix, grated cheese, herbs, pepper, spring onions and cooked bacon, and stir to combine.
- Add the butter and mix until fully combined and the texture resembles breadcrumbs.
- Beat the 2 medium eggs in a small bowl and add to the mixture and stir to combine.
- Add the buttermilk and stir again. The batter should be fairly thick at this stage.
- Place 2-3 tablespoons of batter in the centre of each ramekin/mould and create a well with your fingertips (it should be quite deep as you want it to hold the egg, but make sure you still have a good layer of batter in the base).
- Gently crack a small egg into each well.
- Top with another tablespoon or two of batter. We used our fingers to gently push this down to meet the sides of the well and keep the egg well contained. Don’t worry if some of the egg white spills over the sides.
- Sprinkle some extra grated cheese on top of each muffin and place the ramekin in the centre of the oven and bake for approximately 25-30 minutes, until golden brown all over. Insert a toothpick to the centre and it should come out clean (the egg should be hard boiled in texture so don’t worry about poking the toothpick into it).
- Allow to cool for a few minutes before removing, they are ready to serve warm.
We made our muffins the day before and stored them in the fridge. They can be reheated in a 1000w microwave for 30 seconds, just to take the chill off each one before serving. Eat, enjoy and watch the surprise when your guests bite in and find a whole egg encased inside!
NOTES:
These work perfectly with or without gluten, and the pancake mix is a quick and cheap option, so whatever batter you wish to use you should get the same results.
Adapted from this gluten free and this regular recipe sites.
For more inspiring recipes click here.