March 6, 2014

Egg in a Hole

Bread, Breakfast, Easy!, Eggs 2 Comments

It’s entirely possible that I’m the last person to arrive at this party, but these days I find I really, really like soft-cooked eggs. Growing up I thought I only liked scrambled eggs, hard-boiled eggs, and deviled eggs (who doesn’t?) but recently, I’ve discovered the pleasure of the slightly runny yolk.

And THIS, it turns out, is the best way I’ve found to enjoy it. I feel a little generous even calling this a recipe because it’s SO quick, SO easy, and amazingly, deliciously good.

I’ve seen this recipe with a number of different names. Egg in a Hole, Frog in a Hole, Egg in the Middle… but the principle remains the same. You take a piece of bread. And you punch a hole in it. And then you put an egg in the middle and cook. Simple!

I like using a round cookie cutter for this, but you could get cutesy and use a heart, a square, or whatever shape you want. The important thing is to not make it too small. Trust me, if there isn’t enough hole, the egg will just overflow and not cook and you won’t be able to flip it and all will be ugly for your breakfast.

Another tip: as you can see, this was a one-serving situation for me this morning. But you can make it just as quickly for two! You might even be able to make more servings, I just haven’t tried more than two at a time. The bread can’t slope up the sides of the pan or the egg will escape, and you must leave room to flip the bread!

Once you have flipped it over, you can determine how runny or not runny your yolk shall be. The firmer the egg is when you press it gently with a fork, the firmer the yolk will be. You’ll want to aim for something between jiggly and rock-solid. Which is probably no help at all, but in truth, that’s part of the joyous mystery.

Because there’s only one way to find out what your yolk will look like… dive on in! And whatever happens, you’re in for a crisp piece of grilled, buttered toast surrounding a gently-fried egg. Add this to  your breakfast routine STAT.

Egg in a Hole
Adapted just a smidge from The Pioneer Woman

Note: Obviously, this recipe can be adapted for as many servings as you want. Just make sure you leave enough space in the pan between pieces that you can flip the bread easily.

1 T salted butter
1 piece of whole wheat bread
1 large egg
salt & pepper

Heat butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Use a round cookie cutter or biscuit cutter to cut a hole out of the bread. Once butter has fully melted and has begun to bubble slightly, place the bread into the skillet and the center piece to the side.

Carefully crack the egg into the hole in the bread. Sprinkle a TINY bit of salt and also some pepper on the egg. Cook for about two minutes, then carefully slide a spatula under the bread and flip. Sprinkle a bit more pepper on the second side, then flip the cut-out circle to grill the other side. For a runny yolk, you’ll only need to cook the second side for about 30-45 seconds. Use a fork to gently press on the cooked side of the egg: it should be soft but not jiggly.

Lift the bread onto a plate and eat. Use your little center circle to soak up the warm, luscious yolk!