A Hole in One Breakfast - Egg in a Hole

Eggs, toast, and bacon – the trifecta of breakfasts! And it’s even better if the egg and bread are fried together to create a toasty, yolky all-in-one concoction. Is there a more perfect way to start a weekend morning?! Here’s my recipe for a delicious egg in a hole every time!

When I was young my mom would often make us fried eggs for breakfast – always sunny side up so the yolk was runny – and toast with bacon as well. We would break the yolk and scrape it on the toast along with a piece of bacon for the perfect breakfast bite. Over the years, I developed an aversion to runny yolks and always ordered my eggs scrambled. Initially, I think it was because of the risk of getting food poisoning via salmonella, but that made less sense over time as egg production techniques improved and the risk of getting salmonella now are considerably lower than they were in the 80’s and 90’s.

But I still didn’t eat sunny side up eggs until Laurie mentioned that she had seen a recipe for “egg in a hole” on TV and wanted us to make it at home. I had never heard of this dish, but once I saw a picture of the fried egg, cooked in the middle of bread fried in a pan with butter, I was all in! We have made it many times now and have adapted the original recipe to make it our own.

First, we found that the bread needs to be just the right thickness – not too thin and not too thick. The perfect bread thickness to ensure nicely browned toast and a runny yolk is 3/8” thick. Next, the heat has to be just right as well – keeping the burners on medium heat will ensure everything cooks to the right temperature. Third, the fat matters. We found that using a mix of butter and olive oil ensures that the bread turns a golden brown and doesn’t burn. Fourth, timing is everything – you need to wait until the butter is sizzling before you put the bread in the pan, and you also need to let the bread start to brown on one side before adding the egg, or else you are bound to overcook the egg and end up with a firm instead of runny yolk. Lastly, season the egg on both sides as you cook it – all you need is a sprinkle of salt and pepper for the perfect egg.

This recipe promises to take you back to your childhood if your childhood was anything like mine! Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Egg in a Hole (Serves 2)

For a quick and easy breakfast, nothing beats egg in a hole! Just heat a skillet, fry bread and an egg together in oil and butter, and Walla, breakfast is served! Using room-temperature eggs will help them cook quicker, and if you are serving this dish with bacon (which you definitely should!), leaving just a bit of the bacon grease in the pan while cooking the bread and eggs makes everything just a bit tastier! If you are really hungry, you’ll want to make two of these for a full breakfast for one (which I usually do)!

Ingredients

2 slices white bread, cut 3/8” thick (we like Pepperidge Farms Farmhouse Hearty White Bread)

2 tbsp. salted butter

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

2 large eggs (either straight from the refrigerator or ideally, at room temperature)

Salt and pepper to taste

Bacon and fresh squeezed orange juice (optional)

Directions

Place the bread on a flat surface and using a biscuit cutter or drinking glass, cut a 2 ¼-inch diameter hole in the middle of each piece of bread – save the cut bread rounds and cook with the bread and eggs.

Heat the butter and oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet on stovetop over medium heat until butter just starts to sizzle. Place the bread and bread rounds in the pan and fry until bottom of bread starts to brown. Crack the eggs over the hole and season with salt and pepper – fry for about 1 ½ minutes and then flip bread and egg with a spatula. Season again with salt and pepper and fry for another 1 ½ minutes, until egg is cooked sunny side up and bread is golden brown on the bottom.

Remove from skillet and serve with bacon and fresh squeezed orange juice if desired.