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Savory Sausage Bread Pudding is an all-in-one breakfast bake that can feed a crowd. Make delicious use of stale bread and leftover sausage and cheese to create a filling, easy breakfast.
The middle of January can start to feel a bit dreary. The parties are over, we're back to our mundane lives, and the Earth is still barren and dark. I say, keep having parties. Get together for a game night on a Tuesday. Have friends around for cocktails on a Friday after work. Celebrate one of those sports teams people are apparently always going on about. Take whatever excuse you can to continue the merriment.
How about this idea? Invite some friends over for breakfast before you head out on a winter walk. Get them well-fed and warm, then head outside and search for those inevitable sign of life from Mother Nature. Eat something delicious and comforting, then move your body. Never let the celebrations cease because life is a miracle.
What makes Savory Sausage Bread Pudding so awesome?
This Savory Sausage Bread Pudding would be perfect for just such an occasion. It's hearty and full of texture. The egg soaked bread is moist on the bottom with bits of crunch on the top. Use a spicy sausage if you can get it to add a bit of heat, and don't skimp on the cheese.
Use whatever stale bread you have lying around, but if you have a chewy baguette or half a sourdough loaf, even better here. This is also a great recipe to break out when you've used half of your sausage somewhere else and have stray bits of cheese in the fridge. All these leftover can go into one baking dish then get topped with milk, eggs, and spices and get baked into something awesome. I like to top mine with a dash of hot sauce.
Make it magical
Bread carries a strong grounding energy and is often used as an offering. Cheese invokes success, happiness, and transformation. Eggs are known for the energy of fertility and protection. Milk also carries fertility energy. We've also got a little mustard powder for protection, fertility, and clarity, and onion powder for protection, fertility, and passion. And finally salt and black pepper for classic protection.
You could certainly call on this recipe for fertility and abundance, but if you're going to make it in winter, I feel more called to invoke the ingredients' powers of protection. As you cook and eat, let these ingredients fortify you with protection from the harsh winter elements. Be grateful for the abundance of sustaining foods you have before you. Go out into the world knowing you are safe from harm.
For full details on the ingredients in this recipe, check my Kitchen Magick page.
Tips for making Savory Sausage Bread Pudding
This recipe is super easy to make. It's really designed to use up leftovers, so don't be too prescriptive about the measurements. I sometimes try to stuff too much bread in there, so a single layer of bread chunks in your casserole dish is enough. You'll need to cook the sausage ahead of time. If you want to add any other ingredients such as mushrooms, bell peppers, or even bacon, you can add them to the same frying pan before scattering them over the bread.
You can have a similarly relaxed attitude to the cheese. Use whatever type of shreddable cheese you have on hand and blend different types together if you've got remnants hanging around.
Let the bread soak up the egg and milk mixture for a while before putting it in the oven to bake. The staler your bread is, the longer you can leave it for.
This is best served fresh, about 10-15 minutes after it comes out of the oven, but the leftovers of these leftovers are still pretty bad ass for a day or two.
FAQ
Do you have greens or veggies in your fridge that are about to be thrown out? You could sautee those up and add them to this recipe. I think mushrooms, spinach, onion, or peppers would all be good here.
Absolutely. Use veggie sausage or just replace the sausage with vegetables. With a base of milk and eggs, though, I don't think this could be veganized.
Who says the end of the holiday season means we can't have fun anymore? Make this Savory Sausage Bread Pudding, and share it with some other awesome humans. That's all you need for a party.
Looking for more awesome savory breakfast recipes? Try a Full English Breakfast or maybe some Black Pudding Hash.
PrintSavoury Sausage Bread Pudding
Savory Sausage Bread Pudding is an all-in-one breakfast bake that can feed a crowd. Make delicious use of stale bread and leftover sausage and cheese to create a filling, easy breakfast.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 60
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 baguette or other crusty bread
- 8 ounces of your favorite sausage
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 5 eggs
- 2 cups milk
- ½ teaspoon mustard powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon onion powder
- 10 grinds of pepper
Instructions
- If your bread is already stale, all you need to do is tear it or cut it into cubes. If it's still fresh, tear it up into bite-size chunks and spread it in your small casserole dish to let it dry out. The night before is perfect, but a couple of hours would cut it.
- Preheat your oven to 325 F (160 C).
- If your sausage is in casings, remove the casing and crumble the meat into a skillet over medium heat. Break up the sausage as it cooks. When it's ready, sprinkle it over your stale bread. Sprinkle the cheese over that.
- While the sausage is cooking, whisk together the eggs, milk, and seasonings. Finally pour this mixture over your bread, sausage, and cheese. Press the bread down a bit to make sure it's submerged if you need to. Allow this mixture to sit for at least 10 minutes, but a few hours in the fridge would be fine, too, or even over night.
- Bake your bread pudding for 50 minutes to an hour. It should be puffy and golden brown.
Keywords: Sausage, Bread Pudding
Martin says
Interesting but, in common with most American food blogs, there's way too much annoying blather before you get to the recipe. Keep it short and simple.
★★★★
Renee says
I'm glad you liked the recipe. If you prefer not to read my writing, which I take great pride in, you're welcome to subscribe on Patreon for £5 a month to receive all my recipes ad-free.
Jazz Dey says
This was lush! I veganised using a block of silken tofu and some egg replacer, which made more of a bechamel-style 'cheesy' sauce. Went down very well with some broccoli and peas on the side for a warming winter supper. You strike again Renee, absolutely delish!
★★★★★
Renee says
I'm so glad you liked it and loved that you used your creativity to make it work for you.