Yes, I am aware that today is a Monday and we are as far away from Sunday brunch as any of us care to be. But I feel like we all need something to aspire to. On a Monday of all days don’t we need to be reminded of the joys that await us at the other end of the week? On a Monday don’t we deserve the warm, cozy thoughts that today’s Korean Rolled Omelette Breakfast Sandwich affords us? I say, hell yeah, we do! Mondays are jam-packed front to back and it’s nice to think that in less than a week’s time we’ll be able to linger over a cup of coffee once again.
As I approach the age of 33, I am aware I’m getting older. Sure there are physical manifestations that tip me off to this fact. But I think the most telling change is my declining interest in the activity of “brunching”. Yes, I know it’s horribly trendy to hate what everyone else loves but I swear I’m not saying this to up my cool factor because, pssh, I’m cool enough. And it’s not that I’m over brunch, I love Eggs Benny as much as the next basic bitch. But lining up to drink watered-down mimosas and eat a multitude of bacon-wrapped things that have no business being wrapped in bacon? Yeah, that’s not my nearly 33 aesthetic.
So, what do I do, in my advanced age, to fill the brunch void? The same thing I do with any other mealtime, I make it myself. And sometimes it’s as simple as a poached egg on toast and other times it’s more elaborate, like stuffed french toast. Basically, if I’m taking the time to prepare food in the morning and not eating peanut butter with a spoon, it’s brunchtime in my heart. And the best part? I don’t have to wait in line, I don’t have to wrap everything in bacon, and I always know how much sparkling wine is in my mimosa. Spoiler! It’s a lot.
Contrary to popular belief, you can have a damn good brunch without bacon, sausage, and/or ham. And no, you don’t have to sub them out for a plant-based meat replacement. You can just lean hard on the eggs, make them something really special and boom! You have a brunch that will disappoint no one and delight everyone…except vegans. Sorry, vegans. I will think up a vegan brunch soon. Pinky swear!
Take today’s Korean Rolled Omelette Breakfast Sandwich for instance. This sandwich is completely vegetarian (assuming you’re a veg who eats eggs) and is 100% flavorful and is very clearly brunch-worthy. Fluffy pain au lait bun? Check! Meticulously prepared eggs? Check! Dressed up condiments? Checkmate!
I realized I said “condiments” up top but it’s more condiment unless you count the kimchi. Yes, the gochujang mayo is the only sauce you’ll find on this sandwich. And honestly, the gochujang mayo is the only one you need. And I know I said “meticulously prepared eggs” but in reality, they’re only finicky. Still apprehensive? This YouTube video will clear up any lingering questions you may have and it’s pretty to boot.
Now, let’s talk about the buns these omelettes are served on. As you can see in the photos, I made my own buns. They’re nothing special, just a simple pain au lait roll. But in my humble opinion, these buns are THE breakfast sandwich bun. I do realize that once you introduce yeast into a recipe the prep and cook time grows astronomically. So, if you’re not so much about starting the brunch-making process the day before the actual brunch, just pick up your favorite rolls from your favorite place and call it a day. BUT if you are looking for a more lengthy food project, you’ve found one.
As I alluded to above, I recommend making the buns a day in advance. I know the thought of serving up your omelette on a fresh from the oven bun may sound alluring. But trust me, no one wants to get early enough to make any kind of yeasted product from start to finish in time for the brunch hour. But having said that, if you’re hell-bent on having fresh buns, you could form the buns the day before and leave them to rise overnight in the fridge. Now, this can be risky. I’ve had a few buns that have reached comedically-large proportions in the past. Not that that is the worst thing to have happen but it’s not ideal.
Once the buns are baked, the mayo is mixed and the omelette is rolled, it’s simply a matter of building the sandwich. Now, no one would judge you if you left this Korean Rolled Omelette Breakfast Sandwich green free. It is brunch after all – healthiness really isn’t the name of the game. But I opted to add shaved cabbage to my sandwich. And by shaved cabbage, I mean coleslaw mix. Yeah, the kind of naked coleslaw you can get in a bag. Not horribly gourmet of me but oh, so convenient. Feel free to follow my lazy lead.
So that’s everything you need to know about your next brunch. So go forth and bookmark this Korean Rolled Omelette Breakfast Sandwich because Monday can’t last forever and Sunday is inevitable.
Enjoy!
Korean Rolled Omelette Breakfast Sandwich
Ingredients
Pain au Lait Breakfast Buns
- 315 g (11 oz) 2% milk
- 15 g (0.5 oz) dry active yeast
- 30 g (1 oz) honey
- 2 tsp salt
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter softened, cut into cubes
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp water
Gochujang Mayo
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp gochujang
- 1 tsp mirin
Korean Rolled Omelette
- 6 eggs
- 3 scallions thinly sliced
- 1 carrot minced
- 1/2 tsp salt
To Finish
- 1 cup coleslaw mix
- 1/2 cup kimchi
Instructions
For the Buns
- Pour the milk into a small saucepan and place over low heat. Heat until the milk is just lukewarm. Take the pan off of the heat and sprinkle the yeast over the surface of the milk. Let stand for 10 minutes or until foamy.
- Pour the yeast and milk mixture into a large stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the salt, honey and a cup and a half of the flour. Mix on low speed until the dough comes together.
- Add the remaining flour in 1/4 cup increments, waiting until the flour is well-integrated before adding more. Add only as much flour as the dough needs. The dough should be slightly tacky, silky to the touch and capable of cleaning the sides of the bowl.
- Start adding the butter to the dough, 4-5 cubes at a time. Only add more butter when the previous pieces are no longer visible.
- Transfer the dough to a well-floured surface and knead by hand until silky and smooth. This should take anywhere from 5-10 minutes. Form the dough into a ball and transfer to a bowl greased with vegetable oil. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and let rise in a dry, warm place for an hour and a half or until the dough has doubled in volume.
- Punch the dough down and, using a kitchen scale, measure out pieces of dough weighing 100 g. Form the dough pieces into balls and place them on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper leaving 2 inches of space around them on all sides. You should have anywhere from 8-10 buns. Cover the baking sheet with a tea towel and set aside to rise again.
- While the buns are rising, preheat the oven to 375°F. Once the buns have doubled in volume, whisk the egg and water together in a small bowl. Using a pastry brush, brush the egg wash over the surface of the buns.
- Place the buns in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Rotate the pan and bake for another 10 minutes or until golden. Take the buns out of the oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Let the buns cool completely before storing in a brown paper bag.
For the Gochujang Mayo
- Place all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and whisk to combine. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
For the Omelette
- Place the eggs, scallions, carrot, and salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
- Heat a small amount of vegetable oil in a large non-stick skillet. Pour in a quarter of the egg mixture and scramble the egg. Form the egg into a rough-rectangular shape and push it to the end of the skillet closest to you.
- Pour a little more of the egg mixture into the pan and swirl to ensure even coverage. Once the egg starts to turn opaque, flip the scrambled egg rectangle away from you onto the fresh egg mixture. Continue to push the rectangle forward until it reaches the opposite end of the skillet. Push the egg back to the end of the skillet closest to you and repeat until you run out of the egg mixture.**
- Transfer the finished omelette to a cutting board and trim the uneven edges. Cut the remaining omelette in two and set aside.
- To Assemble
- Cut two buns in half and toast. Spread Gochujang mayo on both sides of both buns. Place a few pieces of kimchi on each of the bottom buns and place the omelette pieces on top of the kimchi. Top the omelettes with a handful of the coleslaw mix and place the top bun on top. Secure with a cocktail pick and serve immediately.
