The full English breakfast is one of the most iconic examples of British food, and even though it’s one of the essential foods to eat in London, the good news is you don’t have to trek across the pond to try it. There are a few iterations of full breakfasts across the United Kingdom and Ireland; for example, full English and full Irish breakfasts each have components that make them unique. At the basic level, you can expect a full English breakfast (also known as a fry-up) to include eggs, pork sausages, tomatoes, toast, bacon, and (typically baked) beans. These various sides may be easy enough to whip up individually, but it can be challenging to make each dish so that everything is ready to eat at the same time, especially if you’re cooking in a small kitchen. Fortunately, if you have a hankering for an English fry-up but don’t have the time or space to make several dishes separately, you can still achieve your dreams with a single sheet pan.
Practically everything featured in a traditional English breakfast can be made in the oven, which is what makes the baking sheet method so practical. All you have to do is set your oven to a high temperature, around 400 to 450 degrees Fahrenheit, and stagger when you add each ingredient to the pan so that the whole fry-up is ready at once.
Make an entire breakfast on one pan
Timing is the key to making a proper English fry-up on a sheet pan. The bacon and sausages will need the most time to cook, so they should be added first unless you’re including potatoes (which should roast for around 15 minutes before you start adding the rest of the ingredients). You can toss them in seasoning or sauce first, or just enjoy them with a bit of salt and pepper. After the meats (and spuds) have started to cook, you can add sliced tomatoes to the pan and pop it back in the oven. If you prefer, you can also add mushrooms or other veggies at this stage.
Flip the sausages once they’ve developed some browning, but before you slide the tray back in the oven, use a wooden spoon to make gaps between the vegetables so you can cook up some eggs without them running everywhere. At this point, you can also add baked beans directly to the sheet pan, or put them in their own cast-iron cocotte. Finish cooking until the sheet pan eggs are set (around eight minutes), and your fry-up is ready to serve. Feel free to garnish with herbs like thyme, rosemary, oregano, or parsley. You can also bust out some ketchup or gravy before chowing down with slices of toast.