We went camping in New York state over the Memorial Day weekend, and I was at a loss for what to make for breakfasts. Something hearty, but not too sweet, and something I could reheat easily before the coffee water boiled on the campfire. Luckily I thought of a great way to reheat food while camping – a steamer basket insert.
Word of warning, though. This does not work for everything, so try it at home before you schlep everything out to the campsite. The mini omelets got too soggy, but these muffins were phenomenal when steamed. Find the recipe behind the cut!
- 6 eggs
- 1 cup whole milk (skim or 2% is fine)
- 2 Tbs brown sugar
- 2 Tbs granulated sugar (sugar subs are fine here, but not for the brown sugar)
- 4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 10-12 slices whole what bread, cubed (multigrain works well)
- Preheat oven to 350F, and place rack in the middle of the oven.
- Prepare two regular-size muffin tins by spraying with non-flavored cooking spray, and set aside. You could use tin liners, but if you plan on reheating via steam, they'll retain too much of the water, yielding soggy muffins.
- Cube the bread including crusts, and place in a large (6-8qt) bowl.
- In a separate bowl, combine eggs, milk, both sugars, cinnamon, and vanilla, and mix well.
- Pour the egg/milk mixture over the cubed bread, and toss to coat. Allow the mixture to set for about 10 minutes to allow the bread to soak up all the liquid.
- With a large soup spoon or scoop, fill the muffin tins about 3/4 full.
- Bake on the middle rack for 20-25 minutes until the bread looks wet, but not soggy. If you plan to freeze, remove the muffins from the tins, and allow to cool to room temperature. Otherwise, serve warm with butter and syrup.
We threw a few of the steamed muffins in a bowl, poured some syrup over them, and went to town. They only need about 3-5 minutes in the steamer basket when frozen - any longer, and you'll get soggy bread pudding, so keep an eye out.
