Chilly weekend mornings are perfect for lazy breakfasts, steamy pots of fresh fiesty coffee or delicately fragrant tea, cartoons on the TV (who doesn’t love a bit of Spongebob in the morning) & fluffy slippers on your feet. Usually, my cat alarm wakes me up early for a snuggle, gradually pushing me over to my Husband’s side of the bed so she can stretch out her paws. After a few minutes of fussing though, she’s had enough & starts to get a bit vocal (& a bit bitey!) about what time it is! So off we trot downstairs to get her some breakfast & put the coffee on. Just lately, there’s been a little boy cat coming around in the garden called Cisco (another IT nerd’s cat), wooing Bengy from her windowsill like a furry feline version of Romeo & Juliet. Unfortunately for him, she’s having none of it & snootily sits there with her nose in the air, emitting the odd growl every now & then (before we had Bengy, I’d never heard a domestic cat growl). Poor Cisco & his unrequited love!

On mornings like these, I like to whip up something special for breakfast, but really easy to make (including the sauce!). These full flatbread foldovers are so simple & filling enough to keep you going until lunchtime, even if you’re really hungry & will sort out a hangover too! They are perfect for breakfast in bed or brunch with friends, scoring you a few brownie points along the way. I’ve made this recipe for two people, but you can double it up if you’re cooking for more. Ready? Aprons on, hands washed & here we go!

What you need:

For the flatbreads:

4oz Self-Raising Flour (or 4oz Plain Flour & 2 teaspoons Baking Powder)

50ml Cold Water

1 tablespoon Olive Oil (or Sunflower if you prefer)

For the filling:

8 rashers Streaky Smoked Bacon

4 Eggs

A little knob of butter (for the pan)

Sea Salt & freshly ground Black Pepper for seasoning

1 tablespoon fresh Parsley, chopped (optional)

What to do:

Pre-heat the oven to 200*C.

Lay the bacon rashers side by side on a baking tray. You don’t need any oil on the tray, as the bacon will render it’s fat out & do that for you.

Put them in the centre of the oven for about 10 minutes or so, turning over half way (although I like mine crispy & just leave it in there without turning, so it’s up to you how you like your bacon really).

While that’s cooking, make the flatbreads. Now I use my food processor for this, but you can just use a bowl & mix by hand.

Tip the flour, water & oil into the food processor, then whizz up until everything forms a nice soft dough. If it’s a bit sticky, just add a bit more flour.

Put your dough on a floured worktop & give it a quick knead. Split into two, roll into balls & set one aside.

Roll out your first doughball on a floured worktop, into an oval shape (it doesn’t need to be perfect, just roughly shaped will do). Set aside while you do the other one.

Heat up your frying pan or skillet until nice & hot, then place each flatbread in the pan next to each other (if you’re not comfortable cooking them together, just do them one at a time).

Cook for a couple of minutes until you can see they’ve risen or bubbled slightly. Turn over & leave them to cook for another couple of minutes. They should have turned slightly brown & be stiffer.

Once ready, wrap them in foil together & pop them in the oven on the bottom shelf to keep warm. Your bacon should be done, so just turn off the oven – they will keep nice & warm.

Lastly, make the scrambled eggs. Personally, I prefer mine really simple, fluffy & cooked through, but not like you can bounce them off the worktop! Here’s how I make them (this might sound basic to some, but I want to make it easy for everyone’s skill level).

Crack the eggs into a bowl, add a little pinch of sea salt & black pepper, then whisk to combine everything (the sea salt breaks down the membranes & makes everything silky smooth). If you get a bit of eggshell in the bowl, use a larger piece of the shell to remove it – don’t chase it round the bowl with your fingers, you’ll never catch it & it will stick easily to another piece of shell.

Melt the knob of butter in the skillet you’ve just used for the bread, add the eggs & move them around with a wooden spoon or tongs, until they have formed little lumps in the pan.

Turn off the heat & allow the residual warmth from the pan to carry on cooking them, while you keep moving them around. If you’re adding Parsley, do that now.

Once you’re happy they’re fully cooked, set your scrambled eggs to one side while you get the bread & bacon from the oven.

Put a flatbread on a plate, place a few rashers of bacon on one half & top with a generous scoop of your silky scrambled eggs. Fold over the other half & that’s your full flatbread foldovers done!

If you like a bit of sauce on your flatbread, here’s a little tip to make your life easier. Not everyone has bottles & jars of specific sauces in their pantry for every occasion, but I guarantee there’s usually a half-bottle of tomato ketchup in everyone’s kitchen cupboard. Just add a bit of Balsamic vinegar to it in the bottle (no washing up!) & give it a really good shake until it turns into a beautiful dark brown sauce. Give it a taste on a clean fingertip & if you like it a bit more acidic, add more Balsamic & shake it again until you’re happy with the taste. That’s your brown sauce ready to go, just drizzle as much or little as you like!

These versatile flatbreads also make a light & lazy lunch too. No yeast? No problem! Pre-heat the oven to 220*C. Make the dough as above, split into two & roll out, stretching into ovals. Sprinkle some coarse semolina or breadcrumbs onto a baking tray & lay the flatbreads on top. Raid the fridge for toppings – try cherry tomatoes, halved with round side up like little red buttons, with a little ricotta splodged all around & grated Parmesan. Shake a little Oregano over the top, a drizzle of olive oil & bake for 5-10 minutes on the top shelf. Once the cheese is bubbling, slide them onto a board, slice & share! Perfect for when you can’t wait & faster than any dial-a-dinner pizza!

Next time you fancy a lazy breakfast or brunch, have a go at making my fabulous full flatbread foldovers! Stay hungry 😉 A x