Easy Make Ahead Holiday Breakfast Ideas

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Hi Bold Bakers!

After holiday celebrations that can go late into the evening, the last thing you probably want to do is set your alarm to make a special breakfast, especially if you have a full house of guests staying with you. But what is better than indulging in something warm and delicious that you seemingly effortlessly whip up to feed a crowd after a good night’s rest? That is where my Easy Make Ahead Holiday Breakfast Ideas come in – make your holiday mornings both extra special and luxuriously easy with these delicious, special occasion-worthy breakfast ideas!

I’m proud to partner with Farmer Direct Foods this holiday season to bring you this video and post. There are countless baking flour options available but I choose Farmer Direct Foods because they focus on regenerative farming practices, producing genuine stone ground, whole wheat flours that offer benefits for home bakers, farmers, and the environment. These nutrient-rich flours create healthier, more flavorful baked goods while positively impacting sustainability.

If you missed it check out my Ultimate Guide to 10 Types of Flour for Baking! which clearly explains wheat flours in an readable, downloadable chart, and it’s FREE. Farmer Direct Foods  joined us to curate a list, offering you the knowledge and insight you need to take your baking skills to the next level.

Breakfast Casseroles

Let’s start with the easiest of them all – my make-ahead breakfast casseroles! Breakfast casseroles are cubed bread mixed with an egg and milk custard base and can be made either sweet or savory, depending on your spices and mix-ins. There are so many reasons to love these Easy Make Ahead Holiday Breakfast Ideas.

• The Day Before:

Fully assemble these casseroles the night before in a matter of minutes, cover and refrigerate overnight.

• The Next Morning:

Preheat your oven per the directions of the casserole.  Unwrap and pop it in the oven, pour yourself a cup of coffee, and snuggle back under the covers until you hear your timer go off.

• Extra Scrumptious Easy Make Ahead Holiday Breakfast Ideas:

  • For sweet breakfast casseroles, try my Overnight French Toast or Pumpkin Bread Pudding. You can also turn my Banana Bread French Toast or Brioche French Toast into a make-ahead casserole by simply cubing the bread and tossing it with the remaining ingredients before covering and refrigerating it overnight.
  • For a savory experience, try my Croque Monsieur Bread Pudding, Easy Make Ahead Breakfast Casserole or Bacon and Cheese Strata.
  • For individual treats, you can even assemble my Microwave Mug Savory French Toast the night before. You can assemble as many as you will need and they can be made to order (and in a minute or two) as people wake up!

Pancakes and Waffles

Next let’s talk about batters, as in the eternal crowd pleasers, pancakes, waffles, and crepes! These take a bit more doing in the morning, but a few quick and simple steps will make the morning much more effortless.

• The Day Before:

Mix the dry ingredients all together in a bowl, cover and leave this on the counter. Then, whisk your wet ingredients, cover and refrigerate.

• The Next Morning:

Warm your waffle iron or grill. Combine the wet and the dry and cook. Enjoy while hot!

• Extra Scrumptious Easy Make Ahead Holiday Breakfast Ideas:

  • For pancakes with a holiday flair, try my Pumpkin Buttermilk Pancakes or Red Velvet Pancakes! My Chocolate Pancakes, Carrot Cake Pancakes and Cinnamon Roll Pancakes are also quite special Easy Make Ahead Holiday Breakfast Ideas.
    • For any recipe that has a glaze for serving, you can make this the night before and refrigerate as well. Just warm briefly in the microwave for a few seconds until it is spreadable before serving.
  • For holiday waffles, my go-to is always my Buttermilk Gingerbread Waffles, but Pumpkin Waffles and Churro Waffles are also favorites. And of course, you can never go wrong with my simple, light, and fluffy Buttermilk Waffles.
    • If you prefer savory Easy Make Ahead Holiday Breakfast Ideas, definitely try my Bacon and Cheddar Cornmeal Waffles.

Crepes

Crepes might take a bit more wrist technique to make, but as batters go, they are the easiest because since there is no leavening, you can fully mix up the batter and refrigerate it the night before! In fact, for crepes, this is actually preferable since the batter cooks up much better when it has had some resting time to allow the flour to fully hydrate.

• The Day Before:

Mix the batter per the recipe instructions

• The Next Morning:

Heat your skillet and cook off crepes fresh and serve

• Extra Scrumptious Easy Make Ahead Holiday Breakfast Ideas :

  • If you want to make crepes, my Easy Crepes Recipe is exactly that – so quick and so easy to customize with whatever fruit, jam or other fillings you desire. Unless you are serving these with fruit that browns quickly, like bananas, you can do all of your fruit and filling prep the night before as well.
  • If you feel like getting adventurous, check out my Chocolate Crepes or Lemon Blueberry Crepes. You can also make delicious Homemade Nutella several days in advance and use this to fill my Homemade Nutella and Crepes.
  • And if you are keto (or just keto-curious) be sure to try my Keto Crepes!

Cinnamon Rolls

Finally, yeasted breakfast doughs always seem to signify something special. They take a bit more effort and a lot more time, so it’s definitely not an everyday or even every-month sort of thing. But when you want to pull out all the stops, just know you can do it with practically no effort on the day off and even have it ready in time for brunch!

All of my yeasted cinnamon roll recipes can be made up to the point of assembly the day before. Unlike casseroles or batters, this will take about 2 hours to prep, so just be prepared for that.

• The Day Before:

Make and assemble your dough all the way to rolling, cutting and placing in your baking tray. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Also make your cream cheese frosting and keep refrigerated.

• The Next Morning:

  • Take the rolls out of the fridge and proof at room temperature for roughly 60 – 90 minutes to allow them to grow and take the chill from the fridge off them.
  • Bake per the instructions of your recipe. Add glaze while warm and enjoy fresh cinnamon rolls with very little fuss.

• Extra Scrumptious Easy Make Ahead Holiday Breakfast Ideas:

  • My Best-Ever Cinnamon Rolls are truly the best classic recipe, but be sure to try my Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls, Upside-Down Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls, or Baklava Cinnamon Rolls using this same overnight method!
  • If you want to make my Giant Cinnamon Roll in a Skillet, this can also be made in advance but use a 9-inch (23cm) cake pan instead.

Monkey Bread

Another favorite yeasted brunch treat is monkey bread. For this, you will follow the same make-ahead method as the cinnamon roll.

• The Day Before:

Mix and proof your dough. Cut and fully assemble the monkey bread in your pan. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

• The Next Morning:

Remove from the fridge and proof for roughly 60-90 minutes at room temperature to grow in size and take the chill off the dough.

Bake per the instructions of your recipe. Turn out of the pan and enjoy while warm and enjoy a stress-free breakfast.

• Extra Scrumptious Easy Make Ahead Holiday Breakfast Ideas:

  • Monkey bread can be made sweet or savory: for a sweet treat, try my Stuffed Monkey Bread with Pecans and Caramel. Or if you just can’t decide whether to make monkey bread or cinnamon rolls, you can make my Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread to get the best of both!
  • For a rich and savory option, try my Cheesy Monkey Bread or Pizza Monkey Bread.

So there you have it – some Easy Make Ahead Holiday Breakfast Ideas to make holiday mornings both extra special and also extra relaxing. What could be better or feel more like a celebration!

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