Breakfast Bake with Bread Roll, Cottage Cheese and Chives Recipe
This breakfast tastes like a classic Polish sandwich with cottage cheese, only in a hot version with a crispy crust. The bake is a great way to use up stale bread rolls that you don’t want to throw away. It’s perfect for a lazy weekend morning when you want something homemade but don’t feel like standing over the stove for long.
This breakfast bake tastes like the well-known sandwich with cottage cheese and chives, but in a hot version with a crispy, buttery roll. The combination of warm, creamy cheese with slightly browned bread edges gives an effect similar to something from a small neighborhood bakery where rolls come to the counter straight from the oven. It’s a great way to use up stale rolls, which come back to life after baking.
Chef's tips
If the rolls are very dry, you can lightly sprinkle them with water before spreading with butter – this way they’ll be crispy on the outside and soft inside. Season the cheese mixture gradually with salt and pepper, tasting as you go, because the flavor becomes milder after baking and it’s easy to overdo the salt. Watch the final minutes of baking – the edges of the rolls tend to burn quickly, so it’s better to peek into the oven after 8–9 minutes than to pull out rolls that are too dark.
How to serve
Serve the bakes immediately after taking them out of the oven, with an extra sprinkle of fresh chives and radishes cut into slices or quarters. To drink, classic black tea with lemon, a small black coffee or homemade lemonade all work well, especially for a late weekend breakfast. They also make a quick, warm meal after an evening workout when you don’t have the energy for long cooking.
Ingredients
- wheat bread roll can be stale - 3 piece
- cottage cheese (Polish twaróg) semi-fat or full-fat - 250 g
- sour cream 12–18% fat or thick yogurt - 2 tablespoons
- chives chopped - 0.5 bunch
- butter for spreading on the rolls - 20 g
- radish sliced thinly - 4 piece
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 190°C (top and bottom heat). Line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Slice the rolls in half lengthwise. Spread each half thinly with butter and place on the tray, cut side up.
- In a bowl, mash the cottage cheese with a fork, add sour cream, salt and pepper. Mix until you get a thick but easily spreadable mixture. If it’s too dry, add a little more sour cream.
- Add the chopped chives and gently mix into the cheese spread.
- Put a generous portion of the cheese mixture on each roll half and spread it evenly right to the edges so they don’t burn in the oven.
- Place the rolls in the preheated oven and bake for 10–12 minutes, until the edges are crispy and the cheese on top is lightly golden.
- After taking them out of the oven, immediately arrange the radish slices on top. Serve hot or slightly cooled.
Storage
These taste best fresh from the oven, but you can store cooled leftovers in the fridge for up to 1 day and reheat briefly in the oven or toaster oven. The radishes are best added fresh just before serving, so keep them separately if you plan to reheat.
