Food & Recipes: Breakfast happens in the morning, so make it ahead

The trouble with breakfast isn’t knowing it’s important. The trouble is that it happens in the morning.

On busy school and workdays, breakfast competes with alarm clocks, missing homework, lost permission slips and grumpy people who insist they aren’t hungry until three minutes before leaving the house.

This make-ahead breakfast combines the sweet-and-savory appeal of a famous fast-food sandwich with sheet-pan convenience. Instead of making pancakes, eggs and sausage while hunting for missing socks, we bake the whole delicious mess together.

The result is a fluffy, maple-kissed pancake filled with sausage and scrambled eggs. Cut it into squares for the table or grab-and-go breakfasts.

Make a batch over the weekend and freeze the squares. On a hectic Wednesday morning, future you will be deeply grateful to past you. You may even forgive you for leaving dishes in the sink.

Use maple or regular breakfast sausage. Real maple syrup adds gentle sweetness; optional maple extract boosts the flavor without the stickiness. Cheddar is delicious, but not necessary.

Serve with fruit, applesauce or maple syrup. Because everything is baked inside, the squares are tidy enough to eat on the run, although preferably not while literally running.

Maple Sausage and Egg Sheet-Pan Pancakes

Servings: 12 to18 portions

Ingredients

For the filling:

1 pound maple or regular breakfast sausage

8 large eggs

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, optional

For the pancake batter:

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

3 cups buttermilk

3 large eggs

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

6 tablespoons butter, melted and slightly cooled

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon maple extract, optional

Procedure

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a 13-by-18-inch rimmed sheet pan, then line the bottom with parchment paper. Grease the parchment.

Cook sausage in a large skillet over medium heat, breaking it into small crumbles, until browned and completely cooked. Transfer sausage to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and cool. Leave about 1 tablespoon of drippings in the skillet, if desired.

Whisk 8 eggs with salt and pepper. Pour into the skillet and cook over medium-low heat, stirring gently, until softly scrambled but still glossy. Remove from heat — the eggs will finish cooking in the oven. Let cool for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk buttermilk, 3 eggs, maple syrup, melted butter, vanilla and maple extract, if using.

Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir just until combined. A few small lumps are perfectly acceptable.

Gently fold the cooled sausage, scrambled eggs and cheese, if using, into the batter. Spread evenly in the prepared pan.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden, lightly puffed and a toothpick inserted into the pancake portion comes out clean. Don’t overbake.

Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then cut into squares. Serve warm with maple syrup or freeze.

To make ahead: Cool completely. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to four days or wrap individual portions and place them in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to two months for best quality.

To reheat from frozen: Unwrap and place on a microwave-safe plate. Cover with a paper towel and microwave in 30-second intervals until hot throughout. For crisper edges, finish briefly in a toaster oven or air fryer.