Egg-in-a-Hole
Updated May 2, 2023
- Total Time
- 10 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1¾-inch-thick slice country bread, whole wheat or white
- 1large egg
- 1tablespoon unsalted butter
- Salt and pepper
Nutritional analysis per serving (1 servings)
253 calories; 18 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 14 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 10 grams protein; 217 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Use a 2-inch cookie cutter to cut a hole in the middle of bread. Reserve the removed portion to toast, if desired. Break egg into a teacup.
- Step 2
Heat a heavy cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, or over a medium-hot grill, for about 2 minutes. Add butter. When butter stops foaming, place bread in pan and reduce heat to medium. Cook 3 minutes and flip over. Gently tip egg into hole.
- Step 3
Sprinkle salt and pepper over egg and cook 3 minutes. Carefully flip egg and bread over, and cook for another 30 to 40 seconds, until egg is cooked just over-easy. Transfer to a plate and serve.
Private Notes
Comments
I'm 85, and this was old when I was a kid. I butter the bread first by rubbing the stick of butter on both sides of frozen bread slices. A light sprinkle of cayenne pepper or smoked pimentón or smoked ground chipotle on the egg before flipping adds some spice and eliminates the need for salt. I then top with a fast melting cheese and cover the pan for half a minute to give the whole thing a gooey, unctuous deliciousness.
Suggest instead of flipping the egg over, baste the top o the egg with butter a few times until the top is set. It is much easier and prevents the yolk from cracking. I believe I saw this tip in America's Test Kitchen a number of years ago.
We called them basket eggs. No need for a cookie cutter. Pull out some bread in the middle of a slice with your fingers and pop it in the mouth of a waiting child.
My glasses were a bit too wide to make the hole, using an egg cup was the perfect size
My mom taught me to make this back in the 1960s—ahem—but we called it Egg in A Nest. And I taught my children to make it in the 1980s. A quick dress-up is any kind of cheese after the turnover. Cheddar or Swiss are popular, but my daughter introduced Feta, and I am a convert. Sprinkle with fresh or dried herbs: chives, parsley or cilantro.
This is so good with an onion bagel subbing in for the bread, and a little dried thyme.