Make Ahead Christmas Breakfast: Cinnamon Toast Rolls

Christmas morning--the spout on the holiday funnel.  The point at which everything you've poured into Christmas floods out in a precise, honed stream of perfection.  Right?

Riiiight.

Some years it feels like everything I pour into Christmas passes through a colander...leaky holes everywhere.  And me without enough fingers to plug 'em up.

Holes like: I never found the "real suit of armor costume."  We never did go look at Christmas lights.  And I didn't plan anything for breakfast Christmas morning.

Breakfast?  Uh huh.  Apparently fancy breakfast on Christmas morning is the new just-chow-down-on-Christmas-candy-until-lunch-is-ready. 

Personally, I'd be perfectly happy passing a Christmas stocking to everyone and letting them have at a Christmas morning buffet of Hershey's Kisses, Rolos, and candy canes.

Of course, this is just a mental exercise in menu planning and has never been put into practice.  Never.  Ever.  Except that one time...

But ya gotta admit it would be festive.  It would even extend the thrill of unwrapping something around the tree.  And it would be easy. 

And when it comes down to it, that's what I want out of a Christmas morning breakfast.  Easy.  No fuss.  So that I can sit on the couch picking all the Rolos out of the Christmas stockings spend time with my family.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Did someone say "make ahead?"  Those words are as exciting as the jingle of Santa's sleigh bells!

These cinnamon toast rolls from Sara Moulton's old Sara's Secrets show can be made a day or two ahead and refrigerated or up to 1 week ahead and frozen.  (Note: I've never tried them from frozen; only refrigerated.)

And they are fun for kids to make.  Translation: let them do all the work while you sip eggnog.  Or guzzle Wild Turkey...hey, I don't know what your holidays are like!

Mise en place for Cinnamon Toast Rolls:

sliced bread, melted butter, sugar, cinnamon
You'll also need a pastry brush, rolling pin, and waxed paper

Remove the crusts, but don't toss them. 
We'll get to those later.
If you're making a bunch of these, an electric knife works great for removing the crusts.
Mix the cinnamon and sugar.
Melt the butter.
Place sliced bread between two sheets of waxed paper and roll.

Nice and thin.

After smooshing all the bread, brush each slice with melted butter.  Both sides.
Then sprinkle one side with cinnamon sugar, leaving a border.

Roll up.  Sara Moulton likes for you to trim the raggedy edges, but I never do.


Roll in the remaining cinnamon sugar.

At this point the rolls can be wrapped tightly and refrigerated for a day or two.  Or, they can be frozen for up to 1 week.
When you're ready, bake at 350 for about 15 minutes (defrost first if frozen, I assume).
Serve with some fruit and you've got yourself a Christmas breakfast.

Wendy @ Around My Family Table is hosting a special Christmas Leftover themed Tip Day Thursday Carnival.

I'm linking this Christmas breakfast recipe for two reasons.
I tend to make this with leftover bread...bread that's a bit past good for sandwiches.  Not yet penicillin, but not fresh, ya know?

Second, I don't throw away the crusts.  Whirl them up in a food processor, toast them and use to top Christmas casseroles.  Or freeze.
These were toasted in garlic infused olive oil, tossed with lemon zest, and used to adorn chicken breasts.  Not bad for scraps!

In addition to Tip Day Thursday, this post is also linked to:
Food on Friday: Recipes for Kids to Make @ Carole's Chatter
Friday Potluck @ EKat's Kitchen
Saturday's Party @ Recipes of a Cheapskate

Printer Friendly Recipe
Cinnamon Toast Rolls
from Sara Moulton/FoodNetwork

12 slices thin sliced bread, crusts removed
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Roll out bread between two pieces of waxed paper very thin. Brush both sides of each slice with some of the butter.

In a bowl, stir together the sugar and the cinnamon. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon sugar on one side of each slice leaving 1/2-inch border on one side, roll the bread tightly jelly-roll fashion towards border. Trim the ends on the diagonal, roll in remaining sugar mixture. (The rolls may be made up to this point 1 week in advance and kept wrapped tightly and frozen.)

Transfer the rolls seam side down to a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, or until they are browned lightly.

Notes:
*I don’t trim the edges after rolling the slices of bread
*In addition to being frozen, these can also be refrigerated a day or two ahead.
*The amount of cinnamon and sugar will most likely leave you with extra

Christmas Tree Bread

Here's another Christmas breakfast we like--
and one that's fun for kids to help make.
The Boy & I make and decorate this on Christmas Eve to have for breakfast Christmas morning.

~* Happy Holidays*~