What To Make For Easter Brunch

Easter weekend is all about indulging in some great food, so why not kick things off in style with a big brunch spread? Forget overnight oats and bircher muesli: an Easter brunch calls for more exciting, filling dishes that will fuel you and the family for the day ahead. We’ve rounded up some of our favourites here, both sweet and savoury – from hot cross loaf to shakshuka, perfect for whizzing up for big groups.

Easter Brunch Ideas: 6 Recipes

Hot Cross Loaf

Makes 3 small loaves

Ingredients:

• 500g strong white flour
• 10g fine salt
• 10g fresh yeast or 4g dried yeast
• 75g butter, softened
• 25g golden syrup
• 110g milk
• 1tsp mixed spice
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 90g currants
• 70g sultanas
• 70g mixed peel
• 1 egg, beaten, for brushing
• Vegetable oil, for greasing the bowl and cling film

For the cross paste

• 40g plain flour
• 10g sunflower oil

For the glaze

• 25g sugar
• 1 tsp liquid malt
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Method:

1. To make the dough, sift the flour and salt into a large bowl with the yeast, butter, syrup, milk and 220g of lukewarm water. Mix to form a dough. Turn out onto your work surface and knead for 10 minutes, or until smooth.
2. Roll the dough out with a rolling pin to about 2cm thick, then sprinkle over the spices, fruit and peel. Knead again until evenly distributed throughout the dough, then form into a ball and put into a large, oiled bowl. Cover with oiled cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for about 1-2 hours, until doubled in size.
3. Turn out the dough and “de-gas” by pressing down briefly and gently with the flat of your hand, to even out the bubbles of air, then shape into three balls and press gently into three 400g loaf tins.
4. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave the loaf tins in a warm place, again until doubled in size, then brush with beaten egg.
5. Preheat the oven to 200 C/gas 6. While the loaves are proving, make the crossing paste by mixing the flour and oil with 40g of water. Put it into a piping bag with a medium, plain nozzle.
6. To make the glaze, put the sugar, malt and lemon juice into a pan with 25g of water and heat, stirring, until boiling, then take off the heat and set aside to cool.
7. When the loaves have doubled in size, pipe one big cross on the top of each one then put into the preheated oven and bake for about 20-30 minutes, until golden. If you throw some ice cubes into the bottom of the oven, this will create steam and enhance the rising and look of the loaves.
8. Remove from the oven and, while still warm, brush the tops with the glaze. Leave to cool on a rack.

Recipe from Daylesford

Baked Shakshuka with Butter Beans

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 80 ml olive oil
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 1/2 red pepper, chopped
• 1/2 aubergine, chopped
• 1 x 400 g tin of tomatoes
• 230 g tinned butter beans, drained
• 4 sundried tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• Pink Himalayan salt and black pepper, to taste

To serve:

• Good-quality shop-bought bread
• 1 avocado, sliced
• Dollops of plant yoghurt
• Handful of fresh basil
• Lemon wedges
• A few cherry tomatoes, to garnish (optional)
• A few endive leaves, to garnish (optional)

Method:

1. In a medium pan, heat the oil and fry the onion, pepper and aubergine with a tiny pinch of salt for 10–15 minutes. It is important you use a good amount of oil here to get it going and to make sure that the veggies soften properly.
2. Then add the tomatoes, beans, sun dried tomatoes and all the spices and seasoning, give it a good stir and leave on a medium heat, covered, for 10 minutes.
3. Check on the mixture when the time is up, give it a stir and leave for another 10 minutes.
4. By now the shakshuka should be done, the liquid should have mostly cooked off and turned sticky and there should be a smoky gorgeous mixture in your pan.
5. Serve immediately from the pan with a good sprinkle of fresh basil, avocado slices, cherry tomatoes, endive leave, home-made bread for dipping, along with some plant yoghurt and lemon wedges to squeeze over.
6. This is such a comforting dish that can also be made in bigger quantities and reheated. It’s a weekend brunch kind of meal, but also super when you’re coming home from work and are in need of something substantial.

Recipe by Bettina Campolucci Bordi in collaboration with Native Places

Nutella Pancake Stack Recipe

Makes 18 pancakes

Ingredients:

• 450 ml of milk
• 6 tbps of melted butter
• Six eggs
• 420 g of flour
• 4 tablespoons of baking powder
• Then add 6 tbsp of melted butter
• Tablespoons of sugar pinch of salt is optional

To serve

• 3 jars Nutella for sandwiching together
• 4 tablespoon icing sugar
• 2 tablespoons praline
• 180 ml chocolate sauce

Method:

1. Beat the milk, butter and eggs together until combined, then add the flour, baking powder, more butter and salt until you get a smooth batter.
2. Lightly grease a griddle or non-stick pan with clarified butter and heat until droplets of water dance on the surface.
3. Pour the batter onto a griddle in uniform amounts, and cook until the surface of pancakes is covered with bubbles. Flip over with a wide spatula and cook until golden brown on the second side.
4. Remove to a serving plate and keep warm. Repeat with remaining batter, regreasing the griddle as necessary – will make 16 to 18 pancakes. You only need 8 for the stack.
5. Place 1 tablespoon of Nutella onto 30 cm plate the place a pancake on top. Spread another tablespoon or two of Nutella then place another pancake on top.
6. Continue this process until you have used up 8 to 10 pancakes, the last pancake can be spread with Nutella then sprinkled with praline and dusted with icing sugar. Serve with red fruit compote and warm chocolate sauce.

Recipe from Christopher’s Covent Garden

Banana Bread

Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients:

• 115g butter
• 115g brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3 ripe bananas, torn into chunks
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 250g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• Pinch of sea salt

To top (mixed together)

• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1½  tbsp toasted walnuts
• 2 tsp of cinnamon

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. In a mixer, cream together the butter and the sugar for about 4 minutes until well combined and slightly lighter in colour.
2. Add your eggs one by one, blend to smooth and then add the bananas and vanilla and pulse a few times, keeping it quite rough rather than blending to smooth.
3. In a separate bowl, mix your dry ingredients, flour, baking soda and salt. Put the mixer on the slowest setting and add the dry mix tablespoon by tablespoon until everything is evenly combined. Line a loaf tin with butter. Pour in your mix and top with the cinnamon, walnut and sugar mix.
4. Bake in the middle of your oven for 55 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Enjoy with a good helping of butter.
5. Top tip: for an extra delicious crust, chef Milli Taylor’s trick is to line your loaf tin with butter and demerara sugar (or sugar and cinnamon) before adding the cake mix to the tin.

Recipe by Alex Hely-Hutchinson

French Toast Hot Cross Buns

Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the maple butter

• 100g unsalted butter
• Pinch of ground cinnamon
• 50ml maple syrup

For the berry compote

• 200g frozen berries
• 200g sugar
• 1 lemon zest or juice

For the hot cross buns

• 4 hot cross buns, cut in half
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch of grated nutmeg
• 100g caster sugar
• 100g unsalted butter
• 6 eggs
• 80ml milk
• 1/2 vanilla pod, with seeds scraped out

Method:

For the maple butter

1. Bring the butter up to room temperature and whisk the maple syrup.
2. This can be placed in the fridge for storage and brought out to soften when you need it.

For the berry compote

1. Place all the ingredients together into a saucepan and simmer until it thickens slightly.
2. Serve while still warm.

For the hot cross buns

1. Whisk together the cinnamon, nutmeg, eggs, milk and vanilla then pour into a shallow dish or bowl.
2. In a large non-stick frying pan, melt the butter over a medium heat.
3. Dip the cut hot cross buns into the egg mixture then fry the slices until golden brown. Flip to cook each side, about 90 seconds on each side.
4. Place one half of the French Toast Hot Cross Bun onto a serving plate. While it’s still hot, drop a generous spoon of maple butter and warm blueberry compote. Dust with icing sugar and maple syrup.

Recipe by Ian Howard