These Flaky Breakfast Puff Pastry Bars are a delicious and impressive way to start the day! They’re like a complete breakfast wrapped in a buttery, flaky puff pastry crust. Layers of savory sausage gravy, crispy hash browns, bacon, cheese, and a creamy egg mixture create a truly satisfying and flavorful breakfast (or brunch!) treat. I love how these bars are perfect for feeding a crowd, and they can be prepped ahead of time for a stress-free morning. Get ready for a breakfast that’s both easy and elegant!
Why You’ll Love These Breakfast Pastry Bars
- All-in-One Breakfast: Combines all your favorite breakfast components – sausage, eggs, potatoes, and cheese – in a convenient, handheld bar.
- Flaky Puff Pastry: The puff pastry crust creates a light, flaky, and buttery base for all the delicious fillings.
- Make-Ahead Friendly: You can assemble these bars ahead of time and bake them when you’re ready to serve.
- Crowd-Pleaser: Perfect for feeding a family or a group of friends.
- Customizable: You can easily adjust the ingredients to your liking.
Ingredients for Breakfast Puff Pastry Bars
Here’s what you’ll need to make these savory breakfast bars. The full list with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Main Ingredients
- Puff pastry sheets (Pastry)
- Ground sausage (Meat)
- Frozen shredded hash browns (Vegetable)
- Bacon
- Havarti or cheddar cheese, sliced (Dairy)
- Shredded cheese (cheddar) (Dairy)
Gravy and Egg Wash
- Flour (Thickener)
- Milk (Dairy)
- Pepper (Spice)
- Egg (Binder)
- Heavy cream (Dairy)
(Note: the full ingredients list, including measurements, is provided in the recipe card below.)
Variations
I love these Breakfast Puff Pastry Bars as is, but here are a few ideas for variations:
- Different Meat: Use breakfast sausage, chorizo, or even cooked and crumbled bacon instead of ground sausage.
- Add Vegetables: Sauté some onions, bell peppers, or mushrooms and add them to the filling.
- Make it Spicy: Add a pinch of red pepper flakes or a dash of hot sauce to the sausage gravy.
- Different Cheese: Use a blend of cheeses, such as Monterey Jack, pepper jack, or provolone.
- Add Herbs
How to Make Breakfast Puff Pastry Bars
Let me show you how to make these delicious and impressive Breakfast Puff Pastry Bars:
Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheet
- I preheat my oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a small/medium cookie sheet with parchment paper. I set it aside.
Make the Sausage Gravy
- In a frying pan, I cook the ground sausage until it’s brown throughout. I do not drain the grease.
- I set the heat to medium-low and mix in the flour to the sausage, stirring it into the grease. It should be bubbling. The point here is to create a roux, which in the end will result in a thick sausage gravy.
- I add the milk and pepper and remove the pan from the heat.
- I add additional milk by the tablespoon until my desired consistency is reached. I prefer a drier gravy for these bars!
Prepare Other Components
- Cook the bacon.
- Cook the hashbrown
Make the Egg Wash
- I mix an egg and the heavy cream in a small bowl and set it aside.
Assemble the Bars
- Now it’s time to assemble the bars. I place one pastry sheet onto the prepared cookie sheet.
- I spread the sausage gravy into a small square within the pastry sheet, so it leaves about an inch of bare pastry around the perimeter.
- I add the hash browns on top of the sausage gravy.
- I carefully pour about ½ of the egg mixture on top of the hash browns, making sure large amounts of the egg mixture don’t pour out onto the bare pastry sheet.
- I brush the bare pastry perimeter with some of the egg mixture; there should still be a good amount left for the puff pastry sheet that is going to go on top.
- I place the slices of cheese on top of the layered breakfast.
- I sprinkle bacon.
- I sprinkle the shredded cheese over the bacon.
- I carefully place the second puff pastry sheet on top and press the edges to connect the top and bottom pastry sheets.
- I press them together with a fork all the way around.
- I brush the remaining egg wash all over the top.
Bake
- I bake for 18-23 minutes, or until golden brown.
Cool and Serve
- I let the pastry cool for 5-10 minutes before cutting into 9 pieces, or smaller.
- I serve while still hot/warm for ultimate flakiness.
Tips and Tricks for the BEST Pastry Bars
Here are my secrets for making these breakfast bars truly exceptional:
- Use Good Quality Puff Pastry: Look for all-butter puff pastry for the best flavor and flakiness.
- Thaw Puff Pastry Properly: Thaw the puff pastry in the refrigerator overnight or according to package directions.
- Don’t Overfill: Don’t overfill the pastry with the filling, or it will be difficult to seal.
- Seal the Edges Well: Pressing the edges of the pastry together with a fork helps to prevent the filling from leaking out.
- Egg Wash: The egg wash gives the pastry a beautiful golden-brown color and helps it to crisp up.
How to Serve
These Breakfast Puff Pastry Bars are perfect for:
- Breakfast or Brunch: A delicious and impressive breakfast or brunch option.
- Holidays: Perfect for Christmas morning or Easter brunch.
- Potlucks: Easy to transport and serve at potlucks.
- Make-Ahead Breakfast: Assemble them ahead of time and bake when you’re ready to serve.
Make Ahead and Storage
You can assemble the pastry bars ahead of time (up to the point of baking) and store them, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Bake as directed when ready to serve. Leftover baked bars can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat in the oven or air fryer to re-crisp the pastry.
FAQs about Breakfast Puff Pastry Bars
- Can I use a different type of meat?
- Yes, you can use cooked and crumbled bacon, ham, or even vegetarian sausage.
- Can I add vegetables?
- Yes, you can sauté some onions, bell peppers, or mushrooms and add them to the filling.
- Can I freeze these pastry bars?
- Yes.
Enjoy these savory, flaky, and incredibly delicious Breakfast Puff Pastry Bars! They’re a perfect way to start the day or impress your guests at brunch.
Print
Flaky Breakfast Puff Pastry Bars
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 9 bars 1x
- Category: Breakfast, Brunch, Main Course
- Cuisine: American
Description
These Breakfast Puff Pastry Bars are a savory and satisfying all-in-one breakfast. Flaky puff pastry encases layers of sausage gravy, crispy hash browns, bacon, cheese, and a creamy egg mixture, baked to golden perfection.
Ingredients
- 2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
- 8 ounces ground breakfast sausage
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup milk (whole, 2%, or skim), plus more as needed
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups frozen shredded hash browns
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 4 slices Havarti or cheddar cheese
- 4–6 ounces cooked bacon, crumbled
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- Olive oil (if needed for hash browns)
Instructions
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Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheet: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a small to medium-sized baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
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Make Sausage Gravy: In a large skillet (cast iron recommended) over medium-high heat, cook the ground sausage until browned and cooked through, breaking it up with a spoon or spatula. Do not drain the grease. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Sprinkle the flour over the sausage and grease in the skillet. Stir constantly until the flour is fully incorporated and forms a roux (a paste). Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly, to cook out the raw flour taste. Gradually whisk in 1/4 cup of milk and the pepper. The mixture should bubble. If the gravy is too thick, add more milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it reaches your desired consistency. For these bars, a thicker, drier gravy is preferred. Remove the skillet from the heat and set aside. (If you plan to reuse the skillet for the remaining steps, transfer the gravy to a bowl and clean the skillet.)
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Cook Bacon: Cook the bacon to your desired crispness using your preferred method (air fryer, stovetop, oven, or microwave). Once cooked, crumble the bacon and set it aside.
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Cook Hash Browns: In a skillet (you can use the same one, cleaned, if you transferred the gravy), cook the frozen shredded hash browns according to package directions, or until golden brown and crispy on both sides. If using oil, use a small amount of olive oil and add it only as needed to prevent sticking. Avoid making the hash browns too greasy.
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Prepare Egg Wash: In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and heavy cream until well combined.
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Assemble Bars:
- Unfold one sheet of thawed puff pastry and place it on the prepared baking sheet.
- Spread the sausage gravy evenly over the puff pastry, leaving about a 1-inch border of bare pastry around the edges.
- Layer the cooked hash browns evenly over the sausage gravy.
- Carefully pour about half of the egg mixture over the hash browns. Try to distribute it evenly, and avoid letting large amounts of the egg mixture spill onto the bare pastry border.
- Brush the bare pastry border with some of the remaining egg wash.
- Layer the 4 slices of Havarti or cheddar cheese over the egg mixture.
- Sprinkle the crumbled cooked bacon evenly over the cheese.
- Sprinkle the 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese over the bacon.
- Carefully place the second sheet of thawed puff pastry over the filling.
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Seal and Crimp Edges: Gently press the edges of the top and bottom puff pastry sheets together to seal them. Use the tines of a fork to crimp the edges all the way around, creating a decorative and secure seal.
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Egg Wash Top: Brush the top of the assembled pastry with the remaining egg wash.
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Bake: Bake for 18-23 minutes, or until the puff pastry is golden brown and cooked through.
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Cool and Serve: Let the baked pastry cool for 5-10 minutes before cutting it into 9 (or smaller) pieces. Serve warm for the best flakiness and flavor.
Notes
- Puff Pastry: Make sure your puff pastry is thawed but still cold for easier handling.
- Sausage Gravy: The sausage gravy should be relatively thick for this recipe, so it doesn’t make the pastry soggy.
- Hash Browns: Cooking the hash browns separately ensures they are crispy.
- Egg Wash: The egg wash helps to seal the pastry and gives it a beautiful golden brown color.
- Cheese: You can use Havarti, cheddar, or a combination of cheeses.
- Serving Suggestions: These breakfast bars are a complete meal on their own.
- Make-Ahead: You can assemble the bars (up to the point of adding the egg wash on top) ahead of time and store them, covered, in the refrigerator until ready to bake. Add the egg wash just before baking.