47 Breakfast Breads to Help You Rise and Shine
Breakfast breads dress up a brunch table, encouraging everyone to have another cup of coffee and stay awhile. Homemade muffins and quick breads welcome new neighbors and make excellent additions to a care package. But these recipes can also serve as a gift to yourself—stashed in your freezer, they offer a sweet (or savory) bite that’s always ready for a breakfast-on-the-go or afternoon snack. Below, you’ll find our go-to loaves, biscuits, scones, and cinnamon (and caramel!) rolls, plus kolaches and bagels too. Grab your loaf pans (or muffin tins) and consider doubling the batch; it’s handy to have all of these breakfast breads around.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson2/47Monkey Bread
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, food styling by Rhoda Boone3/47Classic Easy Banana Bread
You may want to buy extra bananas so you can keep a few of these loaves around. One reader reports: “I have been making this recipe for a few years now, and I can't go to any other banana bread recipe because it’s just perfect!” We like this banana nut bread with walnuts, but feel free to use pecans instead if you prefer.
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Kate Schmidt4/47Classic Blueberry Muffins
Summer berries shine in these tangy, tender muffins. Before baking, you’ll add a pinch of coarse sugar to the top of the muffins to get a shimmery, crunchy dome.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Stevie Stewart5/47Easy Zucchini Bread
The summer staple, via cooking icon James Beard. This quick loaf requires just 15 minutes of hands-on prep time, so you can focus on harvesting the rest of what’s popping in your garden.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Drew Aichele6/47Morning Glory Muffins
Every bite is packed with crushed pineapple, shredded carrot, shredded apple, toasted pecans, and coconut. These 1970s muffins are an exercise in hippie breakfast maximalism.
Photo by Alex Lau8/47Classic English Muffins
These English muffins offer an airy interior with a slightly chewy crumb, and crisp surface dusted with crunchy granules of cornmeal. They make a superlative eggs Benedict. Feeling really ambitious? Consider making this sourdough version.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich10/47Blueberry Scones
For scones this tall and flaky, it’s worthwhile to freeze your butter and grate it on a box grater.
Photo by Isa Zapata, Prop Styling by Christina Allen, Food Styling by Emilie Fosnocht14/47Chocolate Chip Scones
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Diana Yen15/47Orange Sweet Rolls
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Pearl Jones16/47English Muffin Toasting Bread
We’ve found the very best loaf for toast. Just slather it with jam or turn it into a breakfast sandwich.
Photo by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food styling by Emilie Fosnocht17/47Moravian Sugar Cake
This yeasted bake is somewhere between coffee cake and focaccia. The key ingredient? Dried potato flakes.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Drew Aichele18/47Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
A jar of store-bought (or homemade) lemon curd adds richness and tangy flavor to these bakery-worthy muffins. Just be sure to use freshly purchased poppy seeds—they go rancid quickly, causing them to taste bitter.
Photo by Squire Fox21/47Jam Muffins
Think jelly doughnuts, but in muffin form. These are guaranteed to delight everyone who tastes them.
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Photo by Laura Edwards22/47Savory Gruyère Bread With Ham
Not all breakfast bread recipes are sweet—this savory, cheesy cake salé with scallions and thyme will fit right into your brunch menu alongside your favorite egg dish. If you don’t have ham around, you can swap in cooked bacon or other cured meat—or even olives and roasted red peppers.
23/47Mini Doughnut Muffins
Toss these little bites in superfine sugar, then devour. These are delightful for an Easter brunch or Father’s Day breakfast.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton27/47Milk Bread
Warning: French toast made from remarkably soft and fluffy bread may ruin you for all other versions.
Leo Gong28/47Bagels
Fresh, homemade bagels are better than almost anything you can buy, and this detailed recipe will walk you through every single step.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell29/47Blueberry Lemon Corn Muffins
Wrap these up in a tea towel to deliver to new neighbors—or a tired new parent.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Joe Sevier and Anna Stockwell30/47Cathead Biscuits With Honey Butter
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food styling by Micah Marie Morton31/47Easy Coffee Cake
While we’re talking breakfast bakes, we couldn't skip this truly simple, no-mixer recipe. Sour cream keeps each slice tender and adds a wonderfully tangy flavor.
Photo courtesy Eitan Bernath34/47Raspberry Sweet Rolls
These fruity rolls will add a pop of pink to your spring or summer brunch table. To make the tangy filling, you’ll stir a little fresh lemon juice into raspberry jam.
Photo by Brittany Conerly35/47Cinnamon Toast Crunch Zucchini Bread
Have a little fun with your zucchini bread by adding a crunchy cereal topping to the loaf. Adding nutmeg and extra cinnamon boosts the flavor.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Anne Eastman, Food Styling by Lillian Chou & John Bjostad38/47Shao Bing
These laminated sesame flatbreads can be stuffed with you tiao or stir-fried vegetables for a Taiwanese breakfast.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Stevie Stewart40/47No-Fuss Vegan Blueberry Muffins
We tested batch after batch of dairy-free, egg-free muffins to arrive at this fluffy version. They rely on a combination of oat milk and apple cider vinegar to activate the baking powder that gives them their lift.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne43/47Honey Buns
With caramelized edges and pillowy-soft centers, these breakfast buns from baker Autumn Moultrie of Bread and Butter in Brooklyn are truly showstoppers.
Photo by Angie Mosier46/47Cinnamon Sour Cream Coffee Cake
With a pinch of cardamom and a honey drizzle, this coffee cake from legendary baker Cheryl Day is one you’ll want to have around all the time.
