I absolutely love breakfast sandwiches. This recipe I created a few years back when I was working on a new menu for the catering division I was running. I was looking to make a “new” kind of breakfast sandwich that not only had eggs, cheese and toppings. One that was bursting with flavor and could literally stand on its own or become a sandwich.
I then created three different types of bread essentially. These bread would be good enough to eat all on their own. Yet, they could also become killer breakfast sandwiches. I knew I needed one with sausage, one with bacon and a vegetarian option.
The Deconstruction of the Breakfast sandwich
I knew that I wanted to come up with something different than your typical breakfast sandwich that you could get anywhere. To me, that meant more than just changing up the kind of cheese or using a thicker cut of bacon. I wanted to make a sandwich that had toppings in every single bite and could give you the flavors of an amazing breakfast sandwich, even without the egg.
So, I began breaking it down. I had to think first of the vehicle. Finally landed on a biscuit for the meat versions since it can stand up to the big flavors and textures. Also, I knew I wanted to make a sausage and a bacon one, yet they needed two different flavor profiles. I knew I didn’t just want the same sandwich with a meat swap, (like most places offer).
I knew I wanted to highlight other ingredients that would highlight the meats. Or in the case of the vegetarian sandwich, I wanted to highlight some veggies baked right into the bread. That is why I chose a yeast style dough for the vegetable option. I didn’t think a biscuit would hold up as well to the moisture content in the veggies. The yeast dough works perfectly.
Which flavors compliment the meats and veggies
I knew that I wanted each sandwich to have its own flavor profile. Its own identity, if you will. I did not just want the same sandwich and you choose your meat or add veggies. So, I had to think what flavors went well with each meat and/or veggies I knew I wanted to use.
I knew I had to have a sausage option. I love turkey sausage for breakfast and thought that would be great in the biscuit. Then I was thinking what flavors would work well with the turkey sausage. I thought apples, cheddar cheese… herbs, I needed freshness. I immediately went to rosemary. Not only did those flavors completely compliment the turkey sausage beautifully. They also brought the biscuit to a whole new level. The apples added a little bite and a little tang. I went with a white cheddar to be creamy and sharp. Then the rosemary was the perfect freshness at the end.
Next, I knew I had to make a bacon biscuit. I also knew that I wanted a sweet and savory aspect here. So, I really wanted to add in maple somehow. I loved the idea of having the cheese in the biscuit. That way you don’t need it melted on the sandwich. I love the saltiness of Gruyere with bacon and with the sweetness of maple. Then lastly, I liked the addition of herb freshness in the sausage biscuit, so I wanted that here too. Especially to cut through the salty richness of the bacon and the Gruyere. So, I went with thyme in this one. Thyme is a little more subtle than rosemary. It is more floral and even a little more citrus flavored. It pairs perfectly with the fatty and salty richness of this biscuit.
Check out the recipe here.
https://happychefmama.com/2021/09/01/maple-bacon-gruyere-biscuit/
Finally, for the vegetarian option, I knew I wanted veggies baked right into the bread. I also loved the idea of the cheese being baked right in as well. I knew I not only wanted a gooey cheese, but a salty one too. So, I added feta and mozzarella with spinach and red pepper right into this bread. I made a yeast bread, almost like a pizza dough that could stand up to the water content in the veggies as well as take on the flavor of the feta. All while holding the ooey gooey mozzarella.
Chef’s Tips
When you are making biscuits of any kind, make sure that you are using iced cold butter. I literally cube my butter and then put it in the freezer until I am ready to cut it into the biscuits. Also, do NOT over mix your dough. If that butter begins to melt into the dough as you are mixing it, you will not get a fluffy biscuit. You will get a tough hockey puck. That is not good. It is also super important with these particular biscuits that you make the “mix ins” ahead. That way they have time to cool before you fold them into the dough.
As for the yeast dough, you always let it rise fully before kneading in any of the “mix ins”. I actually like to do this one as a rolled bread. This way you can stuff and fill strips of the dough with the veggies and cheese. Then you can roll it all up and place the rolls in the pan for the final rise. This way they will rise together and everything will get baked right inside of the bread. It is a beautiful and flavorful surprise when you slice into the bread.
Last tip for these sandwiches is for the eggs in the center. When I am making a few of these at a time this is how I do my eggs.
-Scramble with eggs low and slow in a pan with butter or oil or a little of both
-Scramble them slightly under and then finish them in the oven on 350 degrees for about 8-10 minutes in a baking dish
-Use a cookie cutter the same size as your biscuits to cut out the eggs from the pan
-Place on the sandwich and you have the perfect sized egg and you can do about 8-10 at a time
Turkey Sausage, Apple and White Cheddar Biscuit
Ingredients
- Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 Tbsp Granulated sugar
- 3/4 tsp Kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 6 Tbsp Unsalted butter cubed and ice cold
- 1/4 cup Fresh rosemary minced
- 1 medium sized Gala apple peeled and chopped- small dice
- 1/2 cup Sharp white cheddar cheese grated
- 12 pcs turkey sausage links; cooked crumbled and cooled
- 1 cup + 4 Tbsp heavy cream divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees(F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside
- In a large bowl, combine the flout, baking powder, sugar, salt and pepper; whisk well to combine
- Using a hand held cheese grater or a box grater, grate the ice cold butter into the flour mixture. Use a fork to work the butter into the flour mixture until a coarse meal is formed.
- Lightly stir in the rosemary, apples, cheese and crumbled sausage. Fold just until combined. Then lightly mix in 1 cup + 3 tbsp of the heavy cream. Stir with the fork just until a shaggy dough forms.
- Turn the dough out onto a generously floured work surface and knead, ( with floured hands), until the dough had been worked into a ball; about 5-7 times should do it. Pat the ball down into a 1" thick round and then use a biscuit cutter to cut rounds out of the dough. You can re-roll the scraps 1-2 times to use up all of the dough. You should get about 12-4" biscuits out of this dough. More if you use a smaller cutter or roll the dough out thinner.
- Place the biscuits on the parchment lined pan and brush the tops with the remaining tbsp of heavy cream. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. ENJOY!
