I love making a delicious batch of scrambled eggs, especially when I add cottage cheese to the mix! The cottage cheese adds a boost of protein and texture that I love. But sometimes I want to make those eggs a little more "extra", and by wrapping them in puff pastry I hit a home run!
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I start with a slightly more eggy version of my cottage cheese scrambled eggs and then wrap them in puff pastry with some ham and cheese. By cutting and criss-crossing strips of puff pastry, this brunch meal gets a lovely braided appearance. It has enough "wow" factor for a special occasion brunch: Christmas, New Years, or Mother's Day.
And it's really easy to make - just check out my tips and tricks and you'll be able to make this wow-worthy brunch with little effort and plenty of chances to take a bow!
What You'll Need to Make This Egg Braid for Brunch
- Eggs
- Cottage cheese
- Shredded cheese (I use Cheddar-Jack)
- Ham
- Puff pastry - sheet
- Optional add ins: spinach and tomatoes
How to Make This Braided Puff Pastry with Scrambled Eggs
The egg mixture began with my cottage cheese scrambled eggs, but some revisions were made. First, I added less cottage cheese in order to end up with firmer eggs. The second thing is, that you cook until the eggs are set but its ok if they're still a little "wet". You will follow up in the oven so the cooking step can finish there.
In a nutshell: We make scrambled eggs, wrap them with ham and cheese in a puff pastry sheet, and bake it to a golden-brown finish. Delicious and gorgeous. 😁
Here's how this comes together:
- Roll out the sheet of (thawed) puff pastry to form a large rectangle - about 15x10. Place it on a parchment-lined baking sheet and set aside.
2. Separate one of the eggs, saving the white in a small bowl. Add the egg yolk and the seven other eggs to a large bowl. Add the cottage cheese and blend together. I use an immersion blender for this, but a stand blender will also work.
3. Prep the other ingredients by chopping up the ham, and the veggies if using (I added spinach and tomatoes). Shred the cheese if needed.
4. Warm a frying pan on medium heat with a little oil and/or butter. When warm, add the egg mixture. Reduce the heat a little and slowly begin sliding a spatula through to eggs to form curds.
5. Add the chopped veggies, if using, and continue slowly cooking the eggs.
6. When the eggs are set and nearly cooked through, remove the pan from the heat.
7. Add the chopped ham to the center of the puff pastry sheet, making a long line down the middle of the sheet. Layer the eggs on top of the ham, keeping it in the center of the puff pastry sheet. Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top of the eggs.
8. Using a knife or kitchen shears, cut strips in the puff pastry from the outer edges and in toward the middle, stopping about ½ inch from where the eggs are. Cut equal strips on either side of the egg pile.
9. Beginning at one end, take a strip of puff pastry and place it diagonally across the egg pile. Repeat with the first strip on the other side, overlapping the first strip. Continue this action with all the strips, forming a braided look on top of the puff pastry. Tuck under any extra puff pastry when you get to the end.
10. Slightly beat the reserved egg white and use a pastry brush to lightly brush it all over the puff pastry. This will give the braided puff pastry that beautiful golden-brown crust.
11. Bake the braided puff pastry in a preheated (400°F) oven for 25 minutes. I do recommend you wait a few minutes before cutting into your beautiful braided brunch dish. The slices are really lovely and incredibly delicious!
Recipe Variations
There are so many options for this, so let me name a few:
- Instead of cottage cheese, you can use cream cheese in the same amount. This will result in an even firmer egg mixture.
- Veggies are up to you, but some of my other favorites include red bell pepper and green onion. Mushrooms might be yummy but I would worry about the added moisture so watch out for that if you try it.
- The cheese is also a personal choice. Sometimes I mix some in with the eggs while they're in the pan, other times I put it on top, and when I'm in the mood I do BOTH!
- I've tried this both with and without ham and both are good, but the ham definitely adds more flavor. I get a lot more "wows" when I include it. 😄
📖 Recipe
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Breakfast Egg Bake with Braided Puff Pastry
Ingredients
- 1 sheet Puff pastry
- 8 eggs large
- ½ cup cottage cheese
- Cooking oil or butter
- Salt + pepper - to taste
- 4 ounces ham chopped
- ½ cup shredded cheese
- Optional: fresh spinach and tomatoes chopped
Instructions
- Line a 15x10 inch baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out the puff pastry to roughly the same size and place it on the prepared sheet.1 sheet Puff pastry
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Separate one egg and set aside the white. Place the yolk in a mixing bowl with the 7 other eggs. Add cottage cheese and blend together with either an immersion blender or a stand blender.8 eggs, ½ cup cottage cheese
- Heat a little oil or butter in a skillet on medium heat. Add the egg mixture and begin cooking. Turn down the heat and start sliding a spatula through the mixture to form soft curds.Cooking oil or butter
- Add in the optional veggies, if using.Optional: fresh spinach and tomatoes
- Continue cooking and slowly stirring until the eggs are set and almost done. Slightly "wet" is okay. I like to season with a little black pepper here. I do not add salt, but feel free to do do if uou prefer. Remove from heat.Salt + pepper - to taste
- Add the ham to the puff pastry, in the center third of the sheet and forming a line for the length of the sheet. Add the scrambled eggs on top of the ham, and sprinkle the shredded cheese over the top of the eggs.4 ounces ham, ½ cup shredded cheese
- Cut strips in the puff pastry from the outer edges and in toward the middle, stopping about ½ inch from where the eggs are. (I use a kitchen shears for this)
- Starting at one end, take the first strip of pastry and angle it over the egg mixture. Pick up the first strip from the other side and cross it over the first strip. Repeat this action to form a braided look over the entire length of the egg mixture. When you get to the end, you might have what seems like extra pieces. I usually tuck these under to ensure a good seal on the end.
- Slightly beat the reserved egg white and then use a pastry brush to brush this all over the surface of your braided puff pastry.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. The pastry will be a beautiful golden brown.
- Let the egg bake sit for a couple minutes, then slice and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
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