I love easy healthy breakfasts and it’s especially nice when they are also a little bit special and indulgent.

This ham & cheese breakfast pastry is a perfect option for a quick yet fancy Christmas morning recipe!

This easy Ham & Cheese Breakfast Braid takes about 5 minutes of active prep time and cooks in less than 12 minutes, so it’s a great recipe to save just in case you need a quick, special breakfast idea – for any time of the year!

Although it is delicious and melt-in-your-mouth perfect when hot, it also makes great leftovers for lunch, serving double duty and saving you precious time in the morning.

Now, you can use just about any pre-made pastry dough for this recipe but our go-to is this inexpensive classic – Pillsbury Crescents. You can buy the low-fat package if you’d like, just make sure to follow the cooking directions on the package for the correct temperature.

To make that gorgeous braid pattern, first roll out your dough into a large square no more than 1/4″ thick. The dough won’t really allow you to roll it too thin, so as long as you can still twist and pull the crescent dough without it ripping you’ll be fine.

Lay your filling ingredients down the center of the dough and then cut even 2-4″ strips into one side of the rectangle, stopping before you reach the filling. Turn your cutting board around and cut parallel strips on the other side.

When you’re ready to “braid” your dough, pick up one strip from each side of the rectangle, twist once and then attach. Be sure to really pinch it well or you will see your strips separate in the center (which I personally don’t mind). Repeat until all strips are twisted and connected and your breakfast braid looks like this:

Ham & Cheese Breakfast Pastry

Author: Jennifer Tammy

Ingredients

1 package Pillsbury Crescent rolls
1/2 cup shredded cheese
1/2 cup shredded ham
Garlic seasoning optional

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 400F.
Roll out your pastry dough to a large rectangle, ensuring the dough doesn't rip.
Mix your filling ingredients together and place down the center of the rectangle, leaving about an inch at either end and at least 3-4" from the top and bottom sides of the rectangle.
Using a sharp knife, make small cuts into the top and bottom sides of the rectangle - lining them up to be parallel and then pick each up between your thumb and forefinger, twist and squish the ends together in the center of your braid. Repeat with each strip until the full pastry is braided.
Bake 10-12 minutes until golden brown.