There's nothing quite like a buttery, flakey pastry for breakfast- and when it's filled with bacon, egg and cheese, even better!

Use my rough puff pastry recipe for the base of these breakfast treats.


Ingredients: To make 8 pastries

Rough puff pastry or puff pastry, pre-made or home made- use half of this recipe
8 eggs plus 1 for egg washing- I would suggest selecting small or medium eggs
16 slices of bacon
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Method:

Roll out your pastry to about a 1/4 inch / just under 1cm thick and cut into squares that are 3 1/5 inches/ 9cm along each edge.

Leaving a border of just under and inch/ 2 1/5 cm cut an 'L' into the corner, following the line of the pastry square. Cut another 'L' into the opposite side of the square but make sure the two 'L's' do not meet. You should have a large pastry square with a smaller square cut into it, but whose edges do not meet all the way in two opposite corners (See picture 2).

Pull up one of the corners of your square with an 'L' corner cut into it and fold it over to it's opposite side, sticking it with a little beaten egg to the corner of the smaller square you create with the 'L' cuts.

Repeat with the opposite side, you should have a diamond shape with two opposite corners that are folded over. This creates a little wall around the interior square, which (when the rough puff puffs) will hold you filling in place.

Transfer your pastry diamonds to a well greased non-stick baking sheet before filling or you will find yourself in a terrible mess.

Drape your bacon slices around the edge of your pastry diamonds, use it as extra wall ballast to contain the egg and cheese! Crack an egg into the middle void and top with a generous pinch of cheese.

Egg wash the pastry edges you can see and pop into the oven at about 360F for 25-30 minutes. You want the white of your eggs to be completely opaque and the pastry to be golden and risen.

As the bacon and pastry cook, and invariable melt and move a bit, your egg may well make an attempt at freedom (use small eggs to try and avoid this!). Don't worry too much about it- this is home cooking, it will still taste wonderful even if it is a little scary looking!

These can be cooked ahead of time and reheated in the microwave or a low oven for an easy breakfast. Served best with a generous blob of ketchup and a nice cup of tea.