Danishes, Donuts, Sweet Rolls, Quiches, and MORE are found in this collection of our favorite Breakfast Pastry Recipes! Indulge in one of these pastries to sweeten your morning.
More Collections: Waffle Recipes, Breakfast Smoothie Recipes, Brunch Recipes
EVERYONE loves pastries!
Pastries can be sweet or savory, baked or fried, large or bite-sized.
An item is considered a pastry when it contains a higher fat content that yields a flakier texture. Many breakfast pastries are also eaten as sweet desserts, but not all of them are.
What are the most common pastries?
There are several types of pastries. The following are 10 popular pastries that are also often served for breakfast:
- Croissants: The croissant is made with yeast dough, layered with butter, and rolled into a crescent shape. The buttered layers are what give it its light and flaky texture. They can be sliced and filled with sweet or savory ingredients.
- Danishes: The dough of a danish is rolled, covered with butter, folded, chilled, and then repeated several times to create several layers of flaky deliciousness. They are often shaped in circles with a fruit jam or cream cheese filling right in the center.
- Donuts are yeast dough that has been fried. They are notably a ring shape but can be a solid circle with a filling or in the shape of a rectangle, known as a Long John. They can have a sugar topping, glaze, or frosting.
- Eclairs may look like a donut, but they are quite different. They are made from a choux pastry (a very light egg-based dough), filled with a flavored creme, and typically topped with a chocolate glaze.
- Quiche uses the same pastry as pie, but is typically more shallow and is not covered. Quiche is savory and filled with different combinations of eggs, cheese, cream, vegetables, meat, or seafood.
6. Savory pastries often include eggs, cheese, herbs, and meats to flavor the dish.
7. Strudels have a thin sheet of flakey pastry dough that is used to wrap around a filling and baked. Apple is a pretty notable filling, but it can be anything from a savory egg and cheese filling to a mixed fruit and creme filling.
8. Sweet pastries: Berries such as strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries are often used, but apples and peaches are popular as well.
9. Sweet rolls are made from a sweetened yeast dough and baked. They can be filled with spices, nuts, and candied fruits. Some are topped with a drizzle of glaze or frosting. Cinnamon rolls and orange rolls are prime examples.
10. Tarts have a thick crumbly crust and are much more shallow than a standard pie. They are generally filled with pastry cream and fruit. It is not topped with a crust.
Breakfast Pastry Tips
Pastry Dough is as versatile as the pastries themselves. However, there are a few things to keep in mind when making any type of dough.
- Pastry becomes less tender as more water is added so make sure to keep the correct balance.
- Adding too much flour can throw off the balance and create a stiffer dough.
- Adding too much fat will cause the dough to crumble.
- Handling and rolling the dough too much will cause gluten to overdevelop which then reduces the tender flakiness of the dough.
- In order for the fat to work its magic, it needs to stay cold. Many recipes call for you to chill the dough at least once for this reason.
Cut in the fat. Most breakfast pastry recipes instruct you to combine the flour and fat (shortening or butter) by cutting them together. This is a really important step.
The easiest way to do this is to use a pastry cutter, but a fork or food processor works too. Simply press the cutter down through the fat and flour over and over until the pieces of fat are the size of a grain of rice or the texture of cornmeal.
How to freeze pastries
The different types of pastry dough can be stored in the freezer to be enjoyed later.
Each of the recipes in this collection have more information in their individual posts for storing and freezing. However, here are a couple rules of thumb when freezing pastries:
- Freezing uncooked pastries yields a better result than cooked pastries.
- Warm pastries should never be frozen. Allow them to cool to room temperature on racks before wrapping tightly with plastic wrap and placing them in the freezer.
Best Breakfast Pastries
Do you dream of making a breakfast pastry worthy of being displayed in a bakery window?? That’s exactly what these are! Skip the trip to the bakery and try these recipes at home.
1. Scones
Bake up a few of these blueberry scones for a delicious breakfast or brunch. They are flaky, buttery, and easy to make!
2. Broccoli Quiche
Broccoli quiche is one of my favorite hot breakfast recipes! Healthy, filling, and flavorful. It has everything you want and more!
3. Homemade Pop Tarts
Delicious Homemade Pop Tarts are easier to make than you think and can be customized based off of your favorite fillings and frosting!
4. Chocolate Eclairs
Homemade Eclairs filled with a creamy vanilla bean pastry cream and topped with a rich chocolate glaze.
5. Asparagus Quiche
This simple asparagus quiche is loaded up with eggs, asparagus, and cheese. It’s terrific for a brunch spread or weeknight meal.
6. Spinach Quiche
Hot and cheesy spinach quiche with a buttery crust is the perfect start to your morning. This is a wonderful breakfast dish for any sized crowd. Everyone will love it!
7. Crescent Rolls
These flaky crescent rolls are soft and tender. Whether you’re making them for Sunday dinner or for a holiday gathering, everyone will love how delicious and simple these rolls are.
8. Mini Donut Muffins
Mini Donut Muffins are coated in cinnamon sugar and topped with a DELICIOUS cream cheese frosting. It’s hard not to eat the whole batch!!
9. Bacon and Cheese Quiche
Bacon and Cheese Quiche is the perfect hot breakfast to share with a crowd. It’s filling, savory, and full of delicious flavors.
10. Ham and Cheese Quiche
A super easy ham and cheddar cheese quiche recipe to whip up for breakfast! Grab some store-bought pie crust dough and get started on this tasty breakfast meal everyone is going to enjoy.
11. Cherry Danish
This easy Cherry Danish is made from puff pastry dough filled with a sweetened cream cheese mixture and topped with cherry pie filling.
Easy Pastries
Sometimes there isn’t enough time in the morning to produce a beautifully crafted homemade breakfast pastry. Each of these pastries is made quickly (under 35 minutes!) with the help of a canned dough shortcut.
12. Breakfast Hand Pies
Simple and delicious crescent dough Breakfast Hand Pies are perfect for breakfast! They are easy to make and completely customizable.
13. Cinnamon Cream Cheese Crescent Rolls
Delicious Glazed Cinnamon and Cream Cheese stuffed Crescent Rolls. Soft and gooey these crescent rolls are the perfect treat or breakfast recipe!
14. Breakfast Crescent Ring
Cheesy Breakfast Ring – delicious cheesy, bacon and pepper-filled eggs inside a ring of delicious crescent roll dough. Its our new favorite breakfast recipe!
15. Cinnamon Twists
Flaky cinnamon twists are buttery and sweet. They take only 15 min. to make, and will disappear in minutes!!
16. Sausage Rolls
Sausage mixed with delicious seasonings, all wrapped up in puffy pastry make these Sausage Rolls delicious and addicting!
Our favorite pastries – Sweet ROlls!
There are so many different kinds of sweet rolls, from classic Cinnamon to Orange Rolls. All of these cinnamon roll variations are worthy of your time!
17. Easy Cinnamon Rolls
These Easy Cinnamon Rolls are smothered with homemade cream cheese frosting. They’re super soft, gooey and quick—made in just one hour!
18. Orange Rolls
One of our favorite morning treats! A sweet roll recipe made with an orange filling and an irresistible lemon glaze. Everyone loves these delicious Orange Rolls!
19. Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Soft and gooey Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls are topped with a delicious pumpkin spice glaze. This simple dessert has all the goods!
20. Nutella Cinnamon Rolls
Soft and delicious Nutella Cinnamon Rolls are made from crescent rolls filled with Nutella and topped with an amazing glaze.
21. Maple Bacon Cinnamon Rolls
Melt-in-your-mouth Maple Bacon Cinnamon Rolls are the yin and yang of salty and sweet, and are sinfully addicting!
22. Cinnamon Rolls
Our ALL-TIME Favorite Cinnamon Roll recipe! These rolls are so soft and gooey, topped with with a delicious cream cheese frosting. They always get rave reviews with anyone who tries them!
Donuts and Other Fried Pastries
Don’t forget the donuts!! They’re a family favorite, and our kids will take any excuse to make them. Here are some of our favorite recipes.
23. Homemade Biscuit Donuts
These delicious Biscuit Donuts are beyond simple and made using canned biscuits!! If you’re looking for the quickest and easiest ways to make donuts, this is it!
24. Homemade Donuts
Melt-in-your-mouth Homemade Donuts are utterly addicting and absolutely worth the effort. Everyone loves these Homemade Donuts!!
25. Pumpkin Beignets
Pumpkin Beignets Are Pillowy, Sugary New Orleans-Style Fried Dough With A Fall Flavor. You Can Enjoy These Soft Donuts Right At Home Sprinkled With Powder Sugar Or Dipped In Your Favorite Sauce.
26. Old Fashioned Donuts
Old fashioned donuts will melt in your mouth. These glazed buttermilk beauties are so easy to make!
27. Beignets
Classic beignets are pillowy, sugary New Orleans-style fried Dough. Enjoy these soft donuts sprinkled with powder sugar or dipped in a sauce!
Easy Breakfast Pastries
We love EASY Breakfast Pastry recipes and hope this list inspires you to make some soon.
Even though some of these recipes take a little more work than others, the majority of them are quite simple.
One of our favorites (because of its simplicity and how quickly it’s made) is the Breakfast Danish.
Add the cherry filling on top or as is with just the cream cheese, but we think you’ll agree that it’s delicious and SO easy!
Here’s how to make it:
Breakfast Pastry Recipes {Breakfast Danish}
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp water
- 1 egg yolk
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 3 tbsp sugar plus some for dusting
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 (17.3 oz) package frozen puff pastry sheets thawed
- 1 can cherry pie filling, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Prepare two baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper.
- Crack the whole egg into a small bowl. Add the water and beat together. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, add egg yolk, cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla. Mix the ingredients together using an electric mixer on medium high speed.
- On a clean surface, spread out both puff pastry sheets. Cut each sheet into 4 even squares. Make the squares into octagons by folding over each corner about 1 inch.
- Add a dollop of the cream cheese mixture into the center of each of the octagon shapes. (about 2 tbsp each). Keep the cream cheese in a dollop shape. Don't spread it out.
- Optional Cherry topping: Add cherry pie filling on top of the dollop of cream cheese.
- Dip a pastry brush into the egg/water mixture. Brush the top of the exposed puff pasty with the mixture. Add a dusting of sugar over the exposed pastry.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes until the pastry is an even golden brown. Cool and serve.
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So Many to Choose From!
There are so many tasty breakfast pastries to choose from, you may just want to create a spread and include a few. Enjoy your next breakfast or brunch!!
Make sure to check out all of our Breakfast Recipes.
For more collections: Muffin Recipes, Pancake Recipes, Breakfast Smoothie Recipes
