Vegan Breakfast Braid

Today I’m sharing a new favorite brunch of ours: the Vegan Breakfast Braid! Here you have a flavorful scramble, tempeh bacon, your favorite veggies, and vegan cheese shreds all wrapped in a flaky puff pastry.

It all started when a high school friend shared a picture of a breakfast braid on her Instagram story. I had never had one before, and I asked her how she made the pretty brunch dish so I could veganize it. She assured me it was easy despite how complicated it looked. I tried to make it that weekend, and though it tasted good, I did a lousy job at making it look pretty! I decided to give it another go a few weeks later with puff pastry instead of crescent roll dough (what her recipe called for), and you’re seeing that one now!

Even though this vegan breakfast braid looks complicated, it’s actually quite simple to do. Here are some process pics for you to see.

This time, we loaded the pastry with homemade tofu scramble, premade tempeh bacon, vegan cheese shreds, mushrooms, onions, and spinach. You can definitely modify the vegetables used. However, I wouldn’t go with something too wet (like tomatoes or zucchini) because it would affect the pastry.

This vegan breakfast braid recipe supplies enough for two braids, about 12 inches long. I had two pieces and was full, and I think Scott took four pieces. You can halve the recipe, which would be more than enough for two people. I’d recommend making both for a bigger family or group of friends.

I grabbed The puff pastry in the frozen section by the pie shells and fruit. As far as I’ve seen, the only vegan option available around here is the Pepperidge Farm brand. It is certified vegan.

Vegan Breakfast Braid

A surprisingly simple breakfast centerpiece that’s perfect for family or friend gatherings. Recipe by The Friendly Feast

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Servings 8 people

Ingredients

  

Scramble

• 2 T oil of choice
• 1 onion chopped
• 4 oz mushrooms chopped
• 14 oz container of extra firm tofu drained, liquid expressed (paper towels or dishtowels do the trick)
• 2 T nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp kala namak (black salt) (provides eggy flavor, regular salt can be substituted)
• 1 cup spinach chopped/torn by hand

Other ingredients

• 2 T oil of choice
• 1 package tempeh bacon chopped into small squares
• 2 vegan egg of choice (I used Follow Your Heart brand but Just Egg will work too)
• 2 puff pastry sheets defrosted in the fridge
• 1/2 cup vegan cheese shreds of choice

Instructions

 

• Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large pan. Add onions and saute for 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and stir, cooking for 5 minutes more. Crumble drained tofu over the pan and without stirring, add spices on top of tofu. Stir and cook 8 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Add spinach to pan and stir, then remove from heat.
• While scramble is going, add oil to another pan over medium high heat and add tempeh bacon. Cook for 4 minutes and stir, flipping pieces as you go to ensure even browning/crispness on both sides. Saute these bits for about 8 minutes total. Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.
• Remove puff pastry from fridge and turn out one sheet on a lightly floured counter top or cutting board. Roll slightly to reduce the presence of the seams/folds. Move dough to a baking sheet topped with parchment paper. Cut dough as pictured.
• Pour the vegan eggs into the scramble pan and stir to ensure even distribution. Next, add in bacon pieces and stir again. Pour out half of the scramble mixture onto dough as pictured and top with half of the cheese shreds.
• Begin sealing the dough by crossing the strands of dough as you go down, as pictured above. Press and seal at the bottom of the pastry. Prepare the second puff pastry if desired and then toss both braids into the oven for 30 minutes. Check to see if the top of the pastry is golden and flaky. Remove from oven, slice using a bread knife, and serve.

Notes

**You may use whatever scramble recipe you desire. The one written here is the version we make most often, but feel free to change up the veggies or spices. I wouldn’t use any vegetables with high water content, though (such as tomato or zucchini) because it will affect the pastry dough’s integrity. We want a crisp, flaky crust!

Keyword breakfast, breakfast braid, brunch, vegan