With the blessed month of Ramadan upon the Muslim community, the search for recipes to whip-up during the wee hours of the morning has begun.

Sahur meals should be quick and easy to prepare while also hearty and nutritious to keep you feeling energised throughout the day.

The good news is that you can make delicious meals using simple pantry staples like white bread.

Now’s the best time to stock up on your favourite white bread – Gardenia Original Classic and Gardenia Original Classic Jumbo, with the added goodness of Nutrinegy™.

1. French toast with chocolate sauce, dates and bananas

This recipe puts a twist on classic French toast with the addition of delicious Gardenia Delicia Chocolate Spread, and is topped with sliced bananas and dates to give you the energy to get through the day.

This recipe yields four servings and takes only seven minutes from stove to table.

Ingredients

• 4 slices Gardenia Original Classic White Bread
• 2 eggs (Grade A)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon fresh milk
• 1 banana, sliced
• 2 dates, sliced
• 2 tablespoons Gardenia Delicia Chocolate Spread

Method

• Beat the eggs, fresh milk and salt until well combined.
• Dip the bread into the egg mixture.
• Heat a skillet on low heat and grease with a little butter.
• Place the bread into the greased skillet.
• When the bread is golden brown, flip it and cook the other side.
• Place bread on a plate, then top with sliced dates and bananas.
• Serve the French toast with Gardenia Delicia Chocolate Spread.

Tip: For fluffy French toast, flip the bread only once.

2. Chicken murtabak bread

This recipe is perfect with any leftover chicken curry or meat dish from Iftar the night before.

It only takes six minutes to prepare and serves two but you can always double the quantity of ingredients so more in the family can enjoy it.

Ingredients

• 1 cup dry chicken curry filling
• 3 slices Gardenia Original Classic White Bread
• 2 eggs (Grade A)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves

Method

• Spread the dry chicken curry filling on a slice of bread and sprinkle with coriander leaves.
• Do the same for the other slice to make the second layer of the sandwich.
• Place the third slice of bread on top of the sandwich.
• Beat eggs with salt and pepper in a bowl.
• Pour half the egg mixture into a heated pan.
• Even out the egg mixture so the omelette is thin and covers the entire surface of the pan.
• Dip the outer surfaces of the tiered bread in the remaining egg mixture and place it in the middle of the omelette.
• Wrap the tiered bread with the omelette after the egg is fully cooked.
• Cut the chicken murtabak into triangles and enjoy.

Tip: Use a non-stick pan to get an even and thin omelette for easy wrapping over the bread.

3. Cheesy fluffy omelette

Enjoy an appetising and quick meal with this omelette loaded with two types of cheeses and scrumptious side dishes to complete the meal.

This recipe yields two servings and takes only 10 minutes to prepare.

Ingredients

• 3 eggs (Grade A)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• ½ tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon fresh milk
• ½ large onions, sliced
• 2 button mushrooms, sliced
• 1 slice Gardenia Original Classic White Bread cut into cubes
• 1 stalk celery leaves, sliced
• ¼ cup cheddar cheese
• ¼ cup mozzarella cheese (optional)

Side dishes

• Handful of ulam pegaga
• Handful of king’s salad
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 slice Gardenia Original Classic bread cut into small squares and toasted until crunchy

Method

• Beat eggs with fresh milk, salt and pepper.
• Heat a skillet and melt butter over medium heat.
• Add in the sliced onions and mushrooms, and sauté.
• Add the diced bread to the egg mixture and let it sit for a while.
• Now add the egg mixture and let the omelette cook completely.
• Sprinkle with celery leaves and grated cheddar cheese.
• Add in the mozzarella cheese if using.
• Fold the omelette in half and remove from the skillet.
• Serve immediately.

Tip: For a fluffy omelette, beat the eggs until foamy.

Whichever recipe you’re trying your hand at for sahur, make sure to use Gardenia’s newly refreshed Gardenia Original Classic White Bread.

Besides the all-new look, Gardenia Original Classic White Bread now comes with the goodness of Nutrinegy.

Not only is the bread freshly baked every day, each slice contains vitamin A for good vision as well as vitamin E, iron and other essential nutrients.

Gardenia’s new recipe also contains no cholesterol or trans-fat, making it an optimal choice especially if you want to prepare great meals for your children.

Rest assured that Gardenia Original Classic White Bread is as soft and fluffy as before – so good you can even eat it on its own.

While Gardenia is constantly evolving to offer consumers the best, they will remain a classic companion for all Malaysians to continuously savour its good taste.

The recipes featured in this article can be found here.

Find out more about Gardenia’s new look and the goodness of Nutrinegy here.