Egg in a Hole

Egg in a hole, is one of my favorite breakfast foods that you don’t see that often.  If you break the yolk it is the ultimate to go food as the egg is secured in the bread.  If you don’t break the yolk, the bread around egg soaks up the yolk when it is broken at the table.  It is the ultimate breakfast food.

It is perfect finger food and you don’t have to worry about the egg and the cheese falling all over the place like a fast food breakfast sandwich.

Egg in a hole

• 2 slices of bread
• 1 slice of cheese
• 1 egg
• spreadable butter or spreadable margarine
• salt and pepper

Egg in the hole is a simple yet complex sandwich.  First you need two pieces of bread.  I just made some fresh sourdough loaves the other day so I had some on hand.  I am making cheese stuffed egg in a hole so I needed two rather thin slices of bread.  If you are going to leave out the cheese cut your bread a bit thicker so that the whole egg will fit in the hole.

Now butter your bread.  Since we are making stuffed sandwiches you only need to butter one side of each slice.  I butter the bread before I cut it as it makes it a lot easier.  If you butter after making the hole, the bread tends to tear.

Now place the butter sides of each slice against each other.  This will hold the bread together as you make your holes in it.  I use an extra wide shot glass to make my holes.  The glass is about 1 1/2 inches across. 

Now do the same for a piece of cheese.  I don’t cut the bread and the cheese at the same time as the force required to cut the cheese is greater than the bread.  So basically by the time you cut through the cheese you have flattened the bread.

Now peel apart the bread and put one butter side down.  Add the cheese, make sure to line up the holes.  Then add the second piece of bread, butter side up. 

Next preheat a fry pan to medium/ high heat.  Then place the bread on the pan. Once you hear the sizzle crack an egg into the hold of the bread.

After about 2 minutes lift the edge to look for doneness.   At this point if you want a completely portable meal you should crack the yolk with the edge of your spatula.  If you are like me and you like your yolks runny, don’t break the yolk.  When the bottom half of the bread is dark brown. Flip the bread/egg. 

Continue to check the otherside for doneness.  The otherside will take about 30 seconds less as the pan is continually heating after add the original bread.  Since the pan continues to heat it takes less time, so you need to be on top of it.  You don’t want burned bread.  After about a minute and a half you should start checking the color of the bread and the texture of the egg.  When pressing on the yolk portion, the yolk should be firm if you want it all the way cooked through, or somewhat springy if you like your eggs over easy. 

I hope that this recipe helps you think of a new and exciting way to serve eggs.  Egg in a hole is perfect for kids.  Who doesn’t love an egg in the middle of their bread.  Remember if you don’t like your eggs runny, makes sure to break the yolks after you crack the eggs into the bread holes.  Let me know what you think.

– Rex