Pumpkin Bread Breakfast Sandwich
Pumpkin bread is the perfect soft and sweet, slightly crispy vehicle for this breakfast sandwich loaded with cheddar cheese, Cuban style pulled pork, and a perfectly cooked egg! I know pumpkin anything can be divisive but it’s time to let go of your hangups and enjoy these fall flavors for what they are!
The inspiration for this recipe
Georgina loves pumpkin bread so we always have it around this time of the year. I was thinking it would be tasty with an egg on top, but I couldn’t decide what else to put on. I had some leftover pork, and realized it would be the perfect savory balance to the sweet bread. When I lived in Bermuda, they actually have a sandwich that is a fish cake on a sweet hot cross bun, so using such a sweet pumpkin bread for this breakfast sandwich actually makes more sense than you might think!
Toast the pumpkin bread on the griddle
One key to this recipe is using a nice dense pumpkin bread. Different pumpkin breads can be brittle or crumbly and wont make good breakfast sandwich bread. The linked recipe below was good for me. Then be careful during this first step, because the bread can fall apart. Once you griddle it in butter on both sides, it will be a little more sturdy.
Cook the egg and pork
The pork is obviously already cooked, but adding it to the griddle will warm it up and crisp the edges. I also added a little hot sauce to it! Then add the egg and cook that too.
Build the pumpkin bread breakfast sandwich
Everything looking good on the griddle! Add the cheese to the bread and the pork so it has time to melt. You can also flip the egg if you want.
Then just build the sandwich! The cheese in between the pork and the bread got nice and melty!
Serve the pumpkin bread breakfast sandwich
I like to serve this pumpkin bread breakfast sandwich open faced with the top bread to the side for the eater to add themselves. That way you can keep the yolk intact. If you are doing over medium or scrambled eggs, you could definitely put it together on the griddle to give it more of a sandwich melt vibe.
LOOK how good that looks! I am sure the pumpkin haters haven’t read this far but look at what they are missing!
A perfect Autumn brunch sandwich!
Twists on this recipe
This would also be awesome with thick cut bacon. I think the hot sauce is essential because it helps balance the sweetness but you could leave it out if you want.
I used this Cuban pork recipe, but you could use your favorite pulled pork if you prefer. I also used this pumpkin bread recipe but a store bought mix, or your favorite family recipe is totally fine! Just make sure it is fully cooled so you can cut nice slices. There is a desire to cut the slices thinner, but they will have more chance of falling apart.
If you love pumpkin like I do, check out my pumpkin spice latte mashed potatoes, or this pumpkin polenta with berbere shrimp!
Pumpkin Bread Breakfast Sandwich
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 slices pumpkin bread
- 1/4 cup Cuban style shredded pork
- hot sauce
- 2 slices sharp cheddar
- 1 egg
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Add some butter to a non stick pan and very carefully add the pumpkin bread slices. Cook a few minutes to brown, then flip.
- Add the pork to the pan to warm and crisp up, and crack the egg in there too.
- Season the egg with salt and pepper and add a dash of hot sauce to the pork.Top one slice of bread and the pork with the cheese slices.
- Top one slice of bread and the pork with the two cheese slices.
- Add the pork and cheese to the bread with the cheese on it. Then add the egg on top of that, once it is cooked to your desired doneness.
- Remove from the pan, serving the sandwich open faced with the second slice of bread on the side.