It’s Spring – Let’s Brunch
by Stacey Tress

Hello Spring! I’m writing this article in January, and to be honest, not my most inspirational month. January is heavy, but knowing that spring is coming, fills me with encouragement and inspiration. First day of spring for 2026, is March 20th. As I cling to that promise, looking out the window as the wind gusts and the snow blows, my fingers march forward.
Our family loves Sunday brunch, or Saturday brunch, or anytime we are home together as a family, and can enjoy the slowness of downtime and yummy foods. I usually am up first and enjoy the quiet meal prep time. We typically eat later during our weekends, and so brunch-inspired items are frequent on our menu.

Classic brunch foods will hit both the sweet and savoury breakfast and lunch items, often featuring eggs, pastries, and indulgent dishes. Popular staples include Eggs Benedict, pancakes, French toast, quiche, breakfast meats like bacon, and potato dishes, like hash browns.

Thinking ahead to Easter, which falls this year the first weekend in April, and Mother’s Day on Sunday, May 10th, maybe you’ll be inspired to try the below brunch ideas and following recipes. If you make the babka, send me a picture!

Brunch ideas by category:

Egg Dishes

• Eggs Benedict: A standard brunch item featuring poached eggs and hollandaise sauce on an English muffin. Variations include Eggs Royale (with smoked salmon), or Eggs Sardou (with artichoke bottoms and creamed spinach).
• Quiche: A versatile savoury tart, with options like ham and cheese, or spinach.
• Omelette: Custom-made egg dishes filled with cheese, vegetables, or meats.
• Shakshuka: Eggs poached in a tomato and pepper sauce.
• Frittatas: Italian-style open-faced omeletts.
• Huevos Rancheros: A Mexican-inspired dish with fried eggs, salsa, and tortillas.

Sweets & Pastries

• Pancakes & Waffles: Served with maple syrup, fruit, or toppings like chocolate chips. (I make sourdough discard waffles often and like to incorporate hemp seeds.)
  
• French Toast: Typically made with thick-cut bread, sometimes stuffed or baked as a casserole. (strata)
• Cinnamon Rolls: Gooey, iced, and often served warm.
• Pastries & Breads: Scones, muffins, croissants, and coffee cake.
• Crepes: Thin pancakes that can be filled with sweet or savory ingredients.

I use sourdough discard, or fresh sourdough starter in most of the above “Sweet & Pastries.” If it’s discard, then it’s pretty much same time prep as it’s just added in and used immediately, but if a true sourdough, in essence, then that will require a bulk fermentation, usually overnight.

Savory & Lunch Items

• Bacon & Sausage: Traditional breakfast meats.
• Biscuits and Gravy: A Southern favorite.
• Avocado Toast: Smashed avocado on sourdough, often topped with a poached egg. (We love to top our avocado toast with salad/micro greens, or sprouts)
• Smoked Salmon & Bagels: Often served with cream cheese, capers, and onions.
• Hash Browns or Potatoes O’Brien: Crispy potato sides. Potatoes O’Brien are pan-fried diced potatoes, with pepper and onions.
• Salads & Sandwiches: Cobb salads, chicken salad, or gourmet sandwiches.

Brunch is rounded out with beverage choices like tea/coffee, boozy drinks like mimosas, fresh juice, and smoothies.

Recipes

Sharing family favourites; something eggy, something indulgent, and something to drink! 

Rice Quiche Bites 

I whip these up often. It’s not really quiche as no “base”—so it’s gluten free. Love my silicon mini-muffin molds as these just pop out with ease. Awesome served hot or cold, and if any are left over, Monday’s school lunch is already halfway packed.

Here’s the loose recipe I use:

Preheat oven to 350ºF

In medium bowl add and combine all ingredients: 6 farm eggs, 3 to 4 cups leftover rice, salt/pepper, paprika, cumin, dried parsley, and ¼ cup parmesan cheese (and some to sprinkle on tops).

Bake for 20–25 minutes

*The ones in the photo are from last July, so they had finely diced fresh chives instead of dried parsley. And if you have bacon, use it—cook it first and chop it up small—delicious.

Sourdough Babka

This decadent and gooey star is not an easy undertaking—but so worth it. Prep time 26 hours.

Ingredients

Levain

46g all-purpose flour
46g water
46g ripe sourdough starter, 100% hydration

Main dough

310g all-purpose flour
107g whole milk
107g egg (about 2 large)
100g unsalted butter, room temperature
29g superfine sugar (caster)
8g fine sea salt
All of the levain

Brown sugar-cinnamon filling

200g dark brown sugar
42g unsalted butter, melted
15g all-purpose flour
8g ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp fine sea salt

Egg wash

One egg
1 tbsp whole milk, or heavy cream

Simple syrup glaze

52g granulated sugar
59g water

Levain (10:00 a.m.)
In a medium jar mix together the levain ingredients. Cover the jar and keep it at a warm temperature for 3 hours.

Mix (1:00 p.m.)
To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, add the flour, milk, egg, half of the sugar, salt, and levain. Mix on low speed until incorporated and let rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Turn the mixer up to medium speed and mix for 5 minutes, until the dough pulls from the sides of the mixing bowl. Stream in the remaining sugar while the mixer is running, and mix for another 1 to 2 minutes until the dough comes back together. While continuing to mix, add the butter, one pat at a time. Mix for another few minutes until the dough smooths out and clings to the dough hook. Transfer the dough to a container for bulk fermentation and cover.

Warm bulk fermentation (1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.)
At warm room temperature, 74–76°F (23–24°C), the warm bulk fermentation should take 2 hours. Give the dough two sets of stretch and folds where the first set is 30 minutes after the beginning of bulk fermentation, and the second set is 30 minutes after the first. After the second set, let the dough rest, covered.

Cold bulk fermentation (3:30 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. the next day)
Place the covered bulk fermentation bowl into the refrigerator overnight.

Roll, freeze, cut, and shape (8:00 a.m.)
Choose a filling and make it: stir the ingredients in a medium bowl and cover. Remove the dough from the fridge and roll to a 10 x 12 inch rectangle with the short edge closest to your body. Spread the filling over the dough, leaving about 1˝ clean on the short side, farthest from you. Roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Place the rolled-up log on a baking sheet and freeze for 15 minutes. Fold and place a piece of parchment inside your baking pan to make two “handles.” After 15 minutes, take the sheet pan out of the freezer and using a sharp knife, cut the log in half lengthwise. Pinch the top of the two halves together and braid the dough one strand over the other. At the bottom, pinch the two bottoms together again. Pick up the braid and place it on the parchment right in the middle, then pick up the sides of the parchment and lift the dough and drop it into the pan. Place the pan in a bag and seal.

Proof (8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., or until ready)
Let the dough rise at a warm temperature, 78°F (26°C), for 3 1/2 to 4 hours, or more. The dough should rise to within 1/2 inch below the rim of the pan.

Bake (12:00 p.m.)
Preheat the oven with the rack in the middle to 350°F (176°C), non-convection. Line a half baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg wash ingredients. Brush a thin layer of the egg wash on the top of the dough. Then, slide the babka on the baking sheet into the oven, bake for 40–45 minutes until the centre of the babka reaches 200°F (93°C). While the babka is baking, make the simple syrup by combining the ingredients in a small saucepan, heat until the mixture bubbles a bit, and occasionally stir until the sugar fully dissolves in the water. Cool the mixture. When baked, remove the babka to a cooling rack. Using a plastic spatula, free the short sides of the babka (the sides without parchment) from the sides and bottom of the pan by pressing the spatula down from top to bottom. Brush on a thin layer of the simple syrup and let rest for 10 minutes in the pan. After resting, remove the babka from the pan using the parchment paper “handles,” and let cool on a wire rack.

Strawberry Banana Smoothie

We use a vita-mix blender and so the resulting creaminess is perfect. Put everything into blender and blend until smooth. Usually serves 4.

Ingredients

1 ripe banana
2–3 cups frozen strawberries 
Squeezed juice from 1 lemon (or lime)
1–2 tbsp bone broth powder (we use a vanilla flavoured kind)
2 tbsp raw honey
1 tbsp olive oil
Pinch of cinnamon
2 cups water
Splash of cream

I started this article during those blizzard days, am finishing it during the extreme cold front. As I finish up this article, it happens to be a Sunday, and so I am feeling very inspired for today’s brunch menu: Freshly baked cranberry/orange scones (using sourdough discard in place of about ½ of the flour), scrambled eggs topped with salsa and pickled asparagus, bacon, and a thick indulgent smoothie, served in a bowl with a spoon.

Bon appetit and happy brunching!

References

https://lazydaisyscafe.ca/lazy-daisys-blog/what-is-brunch-lets-break-it-down Donofrio, J. (2025, December 18). 

51 Best Brunch Recipes. Love and Lemons. https://www.loveandlemons.com/brunch-recipes/
Chapman, D. (2025, September 3). 

What Is Brunch? Let’s Break It Down.— Lazy Daisy Cafe. https://lazydaisyscafe.ca/lazy-daisys-blog/what-is-brunch-lets-break-it-down#

Recipes

Rice Quiche Bites—just threw stuff together one Sunday and it was a winner—maybe there’s a legit recipe out there somewhere… 

Sourdough Babka | The Perfect Loaf, (2020, March 30). The Perfect Loaf.  https://www.theperfectloaf.com/sourdough-babka/

Strawberry Smoothie inspired by Pinterest, adapted by Tress family.

Stacey Tress lives in Rhein, SK, with her husband and two daughters. Owner of Garden Therapy Yorkton, which offers active fermentation kits for purchase (Kombucha, Sourdough, Water Kefir), and fermentation workshops. She is a Holistic Nutritional Therapist (HNT), Young Living Essential Oils Member (#2282633), Permaculture Educator, and holds a Payroll Compliance Professional Designation. To learn more, call 306-641-4239, email: stacey.gardentherapy@gmail.com, www.gardentherapyyorkton.ca, or on Facebook, “Garden Therapy Yorkton.”