Breakfast - Extra Helpings

Our Favorite DIY Edible Gift

This year, try giving the gift of an easy breakfast. DIY edible gifts are a great way to spread holiday cheer to friends, family, and co-workers. Making a big batch of granola is less expensive than buying individual gifts for large groups, and it’s practically guaranteed to be something the recipient will use. Our granola recipes are easy to prepare and package for holiday gift exchanges.

How to make a DIY edible gift

To get started, choose your recipe. For inspiration, check out some of our favorite homemade granola recipes.

Recipe: Cocoa & Maple Granola with Coconut Chips & Dried Cherries

Perfect for snacking or sprinkling onto yogurt, this crunchy granola features rolled oats tossed with coconut chips, maple syrup, cocoa powder, and warming spices like cinnamon and cardamom. We’re toasting it in the oven until delightfully crisp, then finishing it off with chewy bites of dried tart cherries

Recipe: Homemade Granola Bowls with Greek Yogurt & Blueberries

This crunchy granola features rolled oats tossed with coconut flakes, almonds, and warming spices like cinnamon.

Recipe: Homemade Granola with Cardamom & Chia Seeds

This granola recipe gets a nutritional boost from buckwheat groats and chia seeds. Cardamon, maple syrup, and coconut flakes create a slightly sweet & beautifully aromatic flavor profile.

After your granola has been prepared and cooled, it’s time to pack it up. Divide the granola into portion. We recommend giving 2-4 serving to each person, depending on how many people are in their household.

Package your granola in clear cellophane bags or mason jars and decorate to your liking. You can close bags with ribbon curls, cover mason jar tops with decorative fabric, or even attach homemade cards. For bonus points, add some serving suggestions to your card. We love sprinkling granola over greek yogurt, or just eating it straight as a snack.

For more DIY edible gift ideas, check out this mason jar brownie kit.

Maple & Pumpkin Spice Breakfast Sandwich Recipe

If you love the smell of pumpkin spice in the morning, we’ve got a new way to infuse your breakfast with the spicy flavor of fall. This sweet and savory breakfast sandwich incorporates pumpkin pie spice into the sausage. We topped ours off with a sweet drizzle of maple syrup to enhance the seasonal flavors. Optional: pair with a pumpkin spice latte.

What is pumpkin pie spice?

Pumpkin pie spice is a blend of the spices commonly found in pumpkin pie. This blend was introduced by Mccormick, and it’s been available for decades, long before the advent of the pumpkin spice latte. The recipe varies slightly, but most pumpkin pie spice includes some combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, and cloves.

pumpkin spice breakfast sandwich ingredients

Pumpkin Spice Breakfast Sausage Patties

Serves 4, makes about 12 patties

Ingredients:

1 lb ground pork
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tbsp maple syrup
¾ tsp dried rubbed sage
¼ to ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Directions:

Mix the sausage:

In a large bowl, combine the ground pork, pumpkin pie spice, maple syrup, sage and as much of the crushed red pepper flakes as you’d like, depending on how spicy you’d like the dish to be. Season with salt and pepper. Using your hands, gently mix until just combined.**

Form & cook the sausage:

Using your hands, form the sausage mixture into ¼- to ½-inch thick patties, about 2 inches in diameter. Transfer to a plate. In a large pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat a drizzle of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the patties and cook 2 to 4 minutes per side, or until browned and cooked through. Transfer to a serving dish. Enjoy!

How to tell if sausage has enough seasoning

Chef’s tip: cook a tester! This is the best way to taste test sausage (or meatballs) as you’re making them. In a large pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat a drizzle of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Pinch off a small piece of the sausage mixture (about a teaspoon or two) and flatten into a patty. Add to the pan. Cook 1 to 2 minutes per side, or until browned and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and let cool slightly. Taste, then adjust the seasonings as desired.

Craving an even easier breakfast? Get everything you need to make breakfast sandwiches delivered to your door.

New: Try Blue Apron for Breakfast

Blue Apron is here to make your mornings brighter. The chefs you trust are using the ingredients you love to bring breakfast to the Blue Apron menu.

Chef Ashley Giddens took the lead on developing breakfast recipes. As an adamant food lover, Ashley advocates for making every meal as delicious as possible. A quick breakfast of a protein bar or pre-packed pastry is a missed opportunity. She designed the Blue Apron breakfast menu to make thoughtful, delicious morning meals a little bit easier.

With Blue Apron, breakfast can be a lovely moment of indulgence before the day’s duties begin. Our dishes are created with busy mornings in mind. Each recipe is designed to be ready 15 minutes or less, and without creating a pile of dishes.

Take a look at the menu

Recipes like Fried Egg & Prosciutto Sandwiches with Smoked Gouda & Calabrian Mayo and Creamy Spinach & Egg Sandwiches with Parmesan Cheese elevate the classic egg sandwich with unexpected ingredients. You can tailor this recipe to your liking by cooking the eggs to your desired doneness. These sandwiches will be delicious with sunny-side up, over-easy, or over-medium eggs.

Homemade pancakes might seem like a weekend-only treat, but our pre-measured ingredients make it easy to throw together a batter in the morning. With recipes like Buttermilk-Cornmeal Pancakes with Maple-Fig Syrup & Pistachios, Sourdough French Toast with Cherry-Maple Syrup & Almonds there’s no need to fuss with measuring cups. Just combine, cook, and enjoy your short stack. Bring the leisure of a Sunday brunch to your Tuesday morning table.

Tacos don’t need dozens of salsas or garnishes to be special. Our Cheesy Egg & Bell Pepper Tacos with Chipotle Sour Cream are an easy and delicious breakfast treat that you can eat with your hands.

Find Blue Apron breakfast on the Add-ons menu. Our first recipe will be available to ship starting the week of April 18 through Blue Apron’s website and mobile app. Follow along for more breakfast dishes, coming soon to the menu.

Make-Ahead Breakfast for New Year’s Brunch

What’s better than staying in on New Year’s Day? With a little planning, you can use the quiet hours during the afternoon on New Year’s Eve to prep a delicious brunch. Come January 1st, all you’ll need to do it lounge on the sofa and contemplate your resolutions.

Enter: This genius breakfast strata.

A strata is an egg casserole made with generous amounts of bread. The bread soaks up the eggs, and the entire dish bakes up into a moist, savory delight. You can add cheese, meats, herbs, or any of your other favorite breakfast flavors.

For our version, you’ll need eggs, half and half, cauliflower, onion, butter, cream cheese, Swiss cheese, and some spices. If you have leftover bread or rolls around, use them. If not, be sure to stock up before New Year’s Eve day.

make-ahead breakfast casserole ingredients

Before you go out on New Year’s Eve, tear up the bread or rolls. No need to be precise about this step, uneven chunks are totally fine.

Spoon big scoops of cream cheese on top of the bread. The dollops will melt into creamy centers when the strata cooks. To balance out the richness of the cream cheese, layer on the savory caramelized onions and cooked cauliflower.

Finally, douse the bread base with a mixture of eggs, milk, seasonings, and cheese. Cover and place in the refrigerator. Storing this dish overnight will actually improve the final product. The rest gives the egg mixture time to thoroughly saturate every morsel of the bread, guaranteeing a custardy final dish.

Come the next morning, all you have to do is pop the strata in the oven.

After 45 minutes in the oven, the cheese will melt and the vegetables will develop a deep caramelized flavor. The bread, like a pudding, puffs up and then sinks again.

Allow the dish to cool slightly, then cut into wedges, garnish with scallions, and serve to any friends who ended up sleeping in your living room.

Keep reading for the recipe!

Continue reading “Make-Ahead Breakfast for New Year’s Brunch”

Three Easy Make-Ahead Breakfast Recipes

Skipping breakfast is a recipe for disaster. Being hungry has never made any decision easier, no matter how small. Still, sometimes busy mornings make it hard to commit to frying up a fresh plate of eggs and bacon. That’s why we rely on make-ahead breakfast recipes.

When it comes to breakfast, a little meal prep can go a long way. These three easy recipes will make mornings less painful for sweet and savory breakfast lovers.

Overnight Oats

Serves 2:

Prep: 5 minutes

3/4 cup milk*
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1 5.3-oz container vanilla yogurt (regular, greek, or skyr)

Suggested Stir-Ins: fresh or dried fruit, nut, nut butter, granola, coconut chips, jam or jelly, cinnamon, honey, maple syrup

In a small bowl, mix together the milk, oats and yogurt. Cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight. In the morning, add your desired stir-ins. If desired, add a little more milk if you’d like the oatmeal thinner. Enjoy!

*Note: Any milk of your choice will work here, including alt milks like almond milk, oat milk or soy milk.

Spinach & Feta Egg Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

Cook Time: 30 to 35 minutes

½ lb turkey breakfast sausage
2.5 oz baby spinach
8 eggs
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
2 to 3 Tablespoons kalamata olives, roughly chopped, optional

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly grease the 12 cups of a muffin pan. In a large pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat a drizzle of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the breakfast sausage and cook, stirring frequently and breaking the meat apart with a spoon, 5 to 6 minutes, or until browned. Add the spinach and cook, stirring frequently, 1 to 2 minutes, or until wilted and the turkey is cooked through. Turn off the heat and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, evenly divide the feta and, if using, olives among the 12 prepared muffin cups. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the eggs. Once the sausage & spinach mixture is cool enough to handle, evenly divide among the 12 muffin cups. Lastly, evenly distribute the beaten eggs among the 12 muffin cups.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until the eggs are set and lightly browned around the edges. Set aside to cool. Transfer to an airtight container and either refrigerate or freeze. If refrigerated, rewarm in the microwave 1 to 2 minutes. If frozen, reheat in the microwave 2 to 3 minutes, or until heated through.

Soft & Chewy No-Bake Granola Bars

Makes 8 bars

1 cup creamy nut butter
½ cup honey or maple syrup
2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
½ chopped nuts (pecans, peanuts, almonds, pistachios, cashews, etc)
½ cup dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, cherries, chopped apricot)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)

Line an 8×8 or 9×9 inch baking pan with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, combine the nut butter and honey. Stir to combine. (If it’s helpful to get the mixture to come together, microwave for 15 second intervals until it’s able to mix.) Add the oats, chopped nuts, dried fruit, and if using, cinnamon. Stir to combine. Transfer to the prepared pan. Use the bottom of a flat glass or a measuring cup to flatten into an even layer. Chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour, or until set. Cut into bars. Wrap each bar in plastic wrap. Eat within 2 to 3 days or freeze. If frozen, thaw before eating. Enjoy!

Breakfast might be important, but it’s not the only meal of the day. Try a Blue Apron Meal Prep kit for lunch and dinner meal prep made easy.

Homemade Crispy Hash Browns Recipe: How To Make Them

Lori Yates, from Foxes Love Lemons has worked with some of the country’s best chefs. Her tips will help make you a faster, better, and more confident cook. Her post today is all about mastering the process of making crispy hash browns at home–exactly the type you’d get in a diner. Pair them with one of our homemade breakfast recipes.

grated potatoes for hash browns — Grated russet potatoes

Before I went to culinary school, I was just terrible at making breakfast. I could cook a perfect steak, make salad dressings from scratch, and bake a homemade chocolate cake. But ask me to cook breakfast, and you’d get a comically, ridiculously bad meal. Eggs were overcooked. Toast was burnt. And the biggest offense: hash browns were soggy. I now know that my problem was stirring. You shouldn’t stir if you want crispy hash browns.

My school must have realized that lots of cooks struggle with the first meal of the day, as the second class in my curriculum was “Breakfast & Pantry.” The “pantry” portion was a quick week of making salads and sandwiches, but breakfast cookery was the main event.

The hash brown station came with a handout that said “HASH BROWNS: Daily Required Objectives.” In the interest of saving breakfast nationwide, let’s walk through them so you, too, can make restaurant-quality breakfast spuds at home.

Steps to Make Crispy Hash Browns

Pre-Cook the Potatoes

Your first task is to pre-cook the potatoes. Allow for one large Russet potato for every two people you need to serve. Leave the skin on, wash them, poke a few holes with a fork, and either bake them in the oven or zap them in the microwave until they are just tender. This step can be done a few days in advance. When they’re tender, just throw them in the fridge, uncovered.

Prepare Potatoes for Frying

When you’re ready to get your hash browns on, peel the cooled potatoes (or leave the skin on if your prefer) and grate them on the largest opening of a box grater. Grab a nonstick skillet and coat it with a little bit of olive oil or butter.

crispy hash brown ingredients — Grated potatoes, ready to fry

How to Cook the Hash Browns

Heat the skillet to medium-high heat, then sprinkle in your grated potatoes in one even layer. You want to make a layer that is no more than 1-inch thick, so work in batches (or multiple skillets) if necessary.

As soon as your potatoes are in the skillet, sprinkle them with salt and pepper, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Do not disturb them until they are dark golden brown on the bottom. NO STIRRING. You can gently lift up one edge of the potatoes to check on them occasionally.

Using a large plate that covers the skillet, flip the potato cake and return it to the pan.

Increase the heat to medium-high again. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, cook 2 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Continue cooking until this side is dark golden brown, and you’re done!

Transfer to a serving plate (or use the plate you utilized for the flip). Garnish with parsley if you desire, but I’m usually way too lazy on Sunday morning for that. Cut into wedges and serve your guests restaurant-quality crispy hash browns.

Healthy Breakfast Ideas

The journey to eating healthy can seem confusing at the beginning! You can always find new healthy recipes to try. For an easy way to incorporate healthy foods into your daily diet, try looking for ways to optimize your favorite recipes. With a few simple tweaks, there’s usually a way to sneak more protein, fiber, or vegetables into a dish. Here are some delicious breakfast recipes ideas featuring nutrient-rich foods for all the decadent brunch enthusiasts out there.

Smoked Salmon on Multigrain Toast

Salmon is a delicious source of protein, and pairing it with whole or multigrain toast and extra virgin olive oil creates a nutrient-rich meal. This combination of protein and fiber will help give you the boost you need to start your day off right.

healthy salmon on multigrain toast for breakfast

How to:

Start with your favorite smoked salmon and a few pieces of multigrain toast. Just pile the salmon high and then season with salt, pepper, and any desired spices. Top with a drizzle of olive oil and serve with slices of raw (or sautéed) bell pepper on the side.

Turkey Bacon Egg and Cheese

The bacon egg and cheese on a roll is a favorite New York City breakfast. You can find this oozing sandwich in bodegas across the city. Try these easy swaps to transform this breakfast staple into your a nutrient-packed breakfast. First, swap regular bacon with turkey bacon, next “fry” your egg in a non-stick pan with a small amount of olive oil. Did you know an egg contains 8 grams of protein? Once they’re all cooked up, place these in between two slices of multigrain or whole wheat toast, and then serve with a side of veggies for your choice for a delicious and balanced meal.

How to:

Bake or fry the lean turkey bacon in a nonstick cooking pan. Fry an egg with a small amount of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Thinly slice your choice of cheese, and pile it all between 2 pieces of toasted multigrain bread. In the same frying pan you used for the egg, cook a handful of spinach and a few halved grape tomatoes in the fond & season with salt and pepper. Serve on the side.

Whole Grain Pancakes

Who doesn’t love pancakes? This breakfast staple is the perfect way to set a cheery mood for the day. If you’re looking for healthy breakfast ideas, try making your favorite pancake recipe with whole wheat pastry flour instead of all purpose flour. Bonus: throw flaxseeds, flaxmeal, or chia seeds into the mix for some added omega 3 fatty acids and fiber. Then top these pancakes with your favorite nut butter, sliced fresh fruit, and a drizzle of maple syrup.

How to:

To put a healthy twist on this breakfast favorite, start with a recipe that you know you love. Replace between 50-100% of the flour with whole wheat pastry flour, and then go wild with toppings like nuts, seeds, and nut butters. All of these toppings are delicious and good for you.

For more healthy breakfast ideas? Try Blue Apron Add-ons for delicious meals delivered to your door.

This Year, Make New Year’s Brunch at Home

The best way to welcome a new year is with a good meal. That’s what makes New Year’s brunch so essential. This year, make a delicious meal at home with this Pull Apart French Toast recipe. If you’re feeling ambitious, we’ve also included a recipe for winter citrus salad and spiced maple yogurt to round out the meal with flavors of the season. Whether you’re feeding a full house or just feeding yourself, this meal is sure to start the year off right.

Pull-Apart French Toast With Maple Yogurt and Minted Citrus Salad

INGREDIENTS
1 long French loaf (or Braided Challah!)
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
4 eggs
2 tsps cinnamon
4 Tbsps butter, melted
2 Tbsps coarse sugar like Demerara or Turbinado

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

Pull-Apart French Toast:

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a sheet pan with 2 long pieces of aluminum foil in an X pattern. Using a bread knife, slice through the loaf at ½ inch intervals, without cutting all the way through. Place onto the foil-lined pan.

In a large measuring cup or medium bowl, whisk together the milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and eggs until well-combined. Carefully and evenly pour the mixture into the bread loaf (some may spill out). Wrap the foil up and around the loaf and bake for 25 minutes, or until the bread is nicely spongy. Remove from the oven, uncover the top, and brush the melted butter all over the loaf. Sprinkle the coarse sugar evenly over the top and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, or until the center is no longer soggy and the top is nicely browned.

french toast for new year's brunch — A New Year’s Brunch to remember

Maple Yogurt:

Stir together a tub of greek yogurt (35oz) along with ½ cup maple syrup and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.

Citrus Salad:

Peel and segment a dozen different citrus fruits (grapefruit, navel orange, blood orange, clementine). If this is a task for the kids, just have them separate the sections as they would a clementine. Those with more knife skills can supreme the citrus – here’s how. Toss these pieces together with ¼ cup of pomegranate seeds and the leaves from a bunch of mint.

Happy New Year, chefs!

How to Make Homemade Pear Butter

homemade pear butter on toast — this + a cup of coffee = the perfect fall breakfast

Need something new to spread on your toast on a crisp fall morning? We did—so we developed this luxurious, ultra-delicious homemade pear butter recipe.

Fruit “butters,” like nut butters, are named for their smooth, spreadable consistency. Make this spiced pear butter ahead for about a week’s worth of breakfasts. It’s delicious on toast, but we also like it on oatmeal: stir chopped dark chocolate and toasted hazelnuts into a bowl of plain oats, then top it off with pear butter and more chocolate.

Homemade Spiced Pear Butter

Makes: 1 1/2 cups
Time: 80-90 minutes

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
3 lbs ripe pears (about 5-6 large pears), peeled, cored, and medium diced
1/4 cup apple (or pear) cider
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp kosher salt

Cook the pears:

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat the butter on medium until melted. Add the pears, cider, and lemon juice. Cook, stirring occasionally, 10 to 12 minutes, or until the pears begin to break down. Cover and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, 60 to 65 minutes, or until softened and broken down.

pear butter ingredients — Prepared pear cubes

Make the pear puree:

Transfer the cooked pears to a blender. Blend on high until smooth. If you prefer a more rustic texture, you can skip this step and add the spices next.

Cook the pear puree:

Return the pear purée to the same pot. Add the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and salt. Place on the stover over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally and scraping the bottom of the pot to prevent scorching, 6 to 8 minutes, or until thickened.

homemade pear butter — Cook down for a perfect creamy consistency

The Sourdough Pancake That’s Keeping Gage & Tollner’s Starter Alive

Blue Apron is teaming up with chefs across the country to support Feeding America®. To participate, head over to our social media channels. Share our Facebook post or tag a friend on Instagram, and Blue Apron will donate an additional $5 to Feeding America, up to $50,000. Thanks to Caroline Schiff and the team at Gage & Tollner for sharing their savory sourdough pancake recipe.

Do you ever crave old-world elegance? You’re not alone. That’s exactly what the team at Gage & Tollner was hoping to revive when they set about re-opening this century-old Brooklyn establishment.

The original Gage & Tollner was a cornerstone of dining in Brooklyn. It served meat and seafood to celebrities and locals for over a hundred years. It officially closed in 2004, and the building saw a series of short term tenants before lying dormant. Finally, a team of established New York City restaurant veterans stepped in to breathe life into this historic space.

Gage & Tollner’s triumphant reopening was set for Spring 2020. When the team realized that the COVID-19 pandemic would force them to delay, it wasn’t long before their thoughts turned to their sourdough starter, Edna Lewis. If they left her alone, she’d perish. Pastry Chef Caroline Schiff took it upon herself to keep the starter alive, and she’s been creating quite a few projects in the meantime.

This is Caroline’s recipe for a savory pancake made with sourdough discard. She encourages you to get creative here. You can swap the scallions for a quarter cup of chopped kimchi, grated carrots, or herbs. A handful of cheddar cheese with some sliced jalapeños is also delicious. As long as it’s about a quarter to a third cup of stuff, you’re good to go.

Sourdough Pancake by Caroline Schiff

Makes one 8” pancake

Ingredients:

3 Tbs neutral oil like canola or grapeseed, butter and ghee will also yield delicious results
1 cup active but unfed sourdough discard *this works best with same day discard at room temp, but older stuff is ok too! Just let it come to room temp and give it a stir
Pinch of kosher salt
2 tsp white sesame seeds
1/4 cup sliced scallions

Preparation:

1. Heat the oil in an 8″ nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.

2. Season the discard with a good pinch of salt and add it to the hot pan. Swirl the pan to spread the oil out in an even layer.

3. Top with the sesame seeds and scallions in an even layer.

4. When the edges start to set, and you see bubbles forming (about 3 minutes), carefully flip the pancake using a large spatula or tongs. You can peek at the bottom as it cooks; if it seems like it’s getting a little too dark, just reduce the heat a bit.

5. Gently flip and fry on the other side until crisp, another 2 to 3 minutes or so.

6. When the pancake is golden and crispy on both sides, remove from the pan, slice into wedges and enjoy hot, maybe dipped in some soy sauce or sriracha depending on your fillings.

Celebrate Mother’s Day with Rosemary Currant Scones

What’s your first food memory? This past week at Blue Apron, we’ve been thinking a lot about our moms. For so many of us, mothers and grandmothers played a pivotal role in shaping our relationships with food. We helped them cook, begged them for snacks, and if we were good, we got to pick out a treat at the grocery store.

This Mother’s Day feels a little different. Some of us are isolated away from our family and wish we could be closer. Some of us are with our family, and could probably benefit from a little personal space. All of us are craving some of our childhood classics. Chef Annabel Epstein is missing her mom’s classic stuffed peppers. Chef Alex Saggiomo loves his mom’s banana bread so much that he’s shared the recipe with the entire test kitchen. For Chef Jessica Halper, teatime with mom is a sacred ritual.

This year Jessica is recreating the tradition with these flaky rosemary and currant scones. They make a perfect addition to any brunch table, but they’re also an excellent snack all on their own.

Rosemary Currant Scones

Adapted from Ovenly bakery in New York City, makes 8 larges scones

INGREDIENTS:

8 tablespoons (4 ounces) chilled, unsalted butter cut into ½-inch cubes
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup dried currants
1 teaspoon orange zest
2 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary
1 1/2 cups chilled heavy cream plus more for brushing
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar for garnish

METHOD:

Preheat the oven to 425° F. Place the cubed butter and heavy cream in the freezer 10 minutes before using.
Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
Using a pastry cutter or your fingertips, work quickly to cut or blend the cold butter into the dry mixture until it resembles small pebbles. Add the orange zest, currants and chopped rosemary to the flour-butter mixture. Carefully mix until just combined.
Slowly stir the chilled cream into the flour-butter mixture with a large wooden spoon until the dough begins to come together. The flour should not be fully incorporated at this point. Do not overmix the dough.
Transfer the dough and any loose floury bits to a floured countertop and quickly knead the dough until it comes fully together. Using a rolling pin or the palm of your hand, flatten the dough into a 3/4 inch-thick mound. The shape does not matter at this point.
Fold the dough in half, give it a quarter turn and then flatten it again using the palm of your hand or a rolling pin. Repeat this process 3 more times. This helps to build the flaky layers in the scone.
Flour your surface once more, and then shape the dough into a 3/4 inch-thick round. Use a bench scraper or a knife to cut the dough into 4 equal triangles. Then cut those in half to make 8 even triangles. Place the triangles on an ungreased rimmed sheet pan.
Place the sheet pan in the freezer for 10 minutes. Brush with cream and top with turbinado sugar just before baking.
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the scones comes out clean. Cool the scones on a wire rack. Serve warm with butter and jam and a cup of tea.

The Perfect Pancake Recipe For Any Brunch

Do you have a favorite pancake recipe? When it comes to the perfect short stack, there’s plenty of room for taste. Some people live for a tall stack of simple fluffy cakes, while others aren’t happy unless their pancakes have the perfect buttery crunch. No matter what mood you’re in, there’s a pancake for you. Use our guide below to find the perfect pancake recipe for any occasion.

pancake recipe for brunch — Pass the syrup, please

A sky-high and fluffy pancake recipe

If your ideal pancake is as airy and light as a down pillow, this is the trick for you: whip your egg whites. When you’re making the batter, separate the eggs. Incorporate the egg yolks with the wet ingredients, and reserve the egg whites. After the rest of the batter has come together, whip the egg whites until they reach the stiff peak stage. Then, gently incorporate them into your pancake batter. The result will be a cake with a super bubbly and airy texture. Check out this pancake recipe from Serious Eats for a step-by-step guide.

If you like it extra crispy

A crispy pancake is born in the pan. If you’re craving a cake with a delicate and shattery edge, you can’t be shy with the butter. That’s the lesson that Jake Lieber, the chef de cuisine at Brooklyn brunch hotspot Chez ma Tante, learned when he was developing their beloved pancakes. Fortunately for brunch lovers nationwide, The New York Times documented his cooking technique for all to try. Try Chez ma Tante’s crispy, custardy cakes here.

A candied pancake recipe for caramel lovers

Craving something sweet? These caramelized pancakes blur the line between breakfast and dessert, and for that, we are grateful. The technique here is pure genius. It originally comes from Lukas Volger’s Start Simple, and is summarized neatly over at Epicurious. Here, the magic starts after the pancake is finished cooking. Simply take your finished cake and return it to the pan. Add the amount of maple syrup you would normally pour on a finished pancake, and wait. The heat will caramelize the syrup, forming a thin candy shell around the pancake. Not only does this treatment add a sweet crunch to the finished cake, it prevents the pancakes from soaking up the syrup and getting soggy. Try this method with your favorite pancake recipe.

Pancakes for the add-in lover

If you like your pancakes choc full of everything, you can pretty much use any of these recipes as a base. When it comes time to add-ins, don’t be afraid to get creative (blueberries! chocolate chips! m&ms!). As long as you stick to a few basic guidelines, your breakfast will be delicious. Most importantly, you don’t want to overmix your batter. To avoid this, add your goodies after the cake is already in the pan. Just ladle in your batter, sprinkle the add-ins over the top, and proceed as planned. If you’re using frozen berries, it’s a good idea to let them thaw first, or they might stop your pancake from cooking all the way through. King Arthur Flour has a classic blueberry pancake recipe that’s sure to please the masses.