Tasty, even instructive, food opportunities for your child are everywhere, most especially where you may not be looking or expecting; if you are open to them, willing to embrace and experiment with the unknown, all kinds of serendipity and joy can follow. Indeed, all it sometimes takes to make the perfect infant and toddler breakfast is some (not-really) stale bread.
Matzo brei (or matzah brei) follows in a long and pan-global tradition of carbs getting repurposed into a different and altogether delicious meal: migas, bread pudding, panzanella salad–the list goes on and on. This one just happens to center on matzoh bread, a cracker-like flatbread essential to the Jewish religion and culture, but the blueprint is the same regardless of bread form: fat and heat combine with the bread to provide new tastes and textures. Here, the scrambling of eggs turn the crisp matzoh into a riot of different chews: soft, nubby, smooth. Basically, it’s the perfect infant and toddler breakfast.
(Note: see the “Adapt” component how to make this dish with pita or other flatbreads. If you do buy matzoh, though, and are wondering what to do with the extra pieces, here you go: tomato sauce, cheese, basil; microwave until cheese melts. Pizza night.)
Check out our other great breakfast recipes!
This egg and bread hash, a staple of Jewish delis, is chewy, comforting, and classic--the perfect infant and toddler breakfast.
Since the dish is already cut up, you can serve as is in your child’s plate or bowl; silverware is optional. Because it’s soft and simple, it’s a good vehicle for introducing seasoning, of which my default are chives and Everything Bagel seasoning. (There are people who swear by a sweet version of brei; I’ve never tried it myself. To do so, swirl maple or honey into the finished product so that it creates a light glaze.)
This dish can very easily be made with pita or other flatbread; indeed, in Palestine and Israel the very thing is known as Fatoot Samneh. Because pita is significantly thicker and breadier than matzoh, though, you’ll need to both flip the bread/egg ratio–less of the former, more of the latter–and cook the bread a bit longer in order to get the desired toastiness. So: wet two pieces of the bread in the same manner as the previous recipe dictates. Cook in butter for closer to five minutes; pour in three beaten eggs, mix, and cook until egg sets.
Servings 4
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Brad (the Dad) is the founder and Chief Recipe Officer of New Dad's Kitchen. His own cooking/feeding journey started humbly during his son's infancy, preparing and managing his son's bottle intake in order to support his wife; it has since blossomed into a full-on passion to feed his child and family delicious and healthy meals that can satisfy both a toddler and his very tired parents.
