Eggs in a Basket is golden, buttery toast with a perfectly sized hole, into which a fresh egg is cracked and cooked to absolute perfection.
This simple fried egg dish has only 5 essential ingredients and is cooked and ready to eat in 15 minutes.
Plus, it doesn't matter if you like your fried egg runny, slightly runny, or hard. This recipe is how you will always want to eat eggs for breakfast, brunch, or as a main course for dinner.
With a perfectly cooked egg nestled in a crispy bread basket, you can easily kickstart or end your day with a satisfying and flavorful meal.
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Why You'll Love This Eggs in a Basket Recipe
- Only 5 Must-Have Ingredients.
- Quick and Easy to Make - a 15 Minute Recipe.
- It is Toast and Eggs in One Dish.
- Perfect for a Quick, Satisfying Breakfast.
- The Recipe Scales Up Easily.
- It is Vegetarian.
About This Recipe
So... when I see delicious-looking food in a movie or TV episode, I start thinking about making it. I first saw this simple homey breakfast in the 1987 movie Moonstruck and knew I had to try it. Just like my Midnight Diner Potato Salad, that's how Eggs in a Basket was chosen to be on Encharted Cook.
It turns out that this fried egg dish is super easy. Melt butter in a pan and cook slices of bread with a hole cut out, along with the cutout holes, also known as "lids" or "hats". Flip the bread over, crack an egg into the hole, season with salt and pepper, and continue cooking until the egg, sunny side up, is to your liking.
As the bread cooks in the butter, the butter becomes nutty and slightly caramel in flavor and aroma. Bread cooked in butter is like... alchemy. It becomes transformed to new heights and is nothing like simple buttered toast.
You might know this iconic breakfast dish by another name, like one-eyed Jack, hole in one, eggs in a frame, eggs with a hat, egg in a hole, or eggs in a nest. There appears to be many different names given this dish from both pop culture and regional culinary fare.
But whatever you call it... It is a genius way to make delicious, buttery, homestyle toast and eggs.
So, let's cook!
Ingredients Notes
Here's what you need to make Eggs in a Basket:
- Rustic Bread - Use hearty breads like Italian or Sourdough and cut the slices ¾" thick.
- Salted Butter - I prefer salted butter, which brings out the flavor of the bread.
- Large Eggs - Large eggs perfectly fit the size and depth of the hole in the bread.
- Fine Sea Salt - A pinch of salt over the eggs enhances their flavor.
- Black Pepper - I aways use freshly ground black pepper, which has a flowery aroma and spicy flavor. You only need a few grinds for each egg.
Optional Garnish:
- Fresh Chives - Just a couple of fresh chives, finely chopped, give a fresh and beautiful look to this dish. You can also use any fresh herbs you like with eggs like sweet basil, chervil, dill, fennel, or tarragon.
Please see the recipe card for the exact quantities.
How to Make Eggs in a Basket
Preheat. Preheat the oven to 400°F/204°C and heat a skillet on the stove over medium-high heat.
Cut Holes in Bread. While the skillet heats, use a 2 ½-inch round biscuit or cookie cutter to cut out the centers of the sliced bread. Do not discard the centers.
Toast the Bread. Melt the butter in the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bread and the cut-out bread rounds to the skillet and cook about 3 to 5 minutes or until the bread is golden. Use a spatula and turn the golden side of the bread up.
Add the Eggs. Crack open each egg and place each in a small measuring cup or dish. Add each egg to the hole in each slice. Season the eggs to taste with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper.
Cook the Eggs. Place the pan in the oven and let the eggs cook until the white is set and the yolk is semi-set which will be between 4 to 5 minutes. To see how the yolk is set use a hot pad to protect your hand and give the pan a little shake. Runny yolks wobble greatly, and hard-cooked yolks will not wobble at all. If you are looking for a runny yolk cook for about 3 minutes.
Alternatively, you can continue to cook the eggs in the pan instead of the oven by covering the pan with a lid and continuing to cook to your liking on the stove.
Serve & Enjoy. Plate the egg toasts and the cut-out circles and garnish with fresh chopped chives.
Why I Finish Cooking Eggs in a Basket in the Oven
You might ask why I finish cooking my eggs in the oven when I can simply put a lid on the pan and finish cooking... and there are two reasons.
- The buttery toast stays crisp.
- The egg cooks a little slower so I can get a perfectly cooked medium yolk that is thickened and pudding-like.
My Top Tip
♡ Don't skimp on the butter. It may seem like 3 tablespoons is a lot, but trust me it is the perfect amount to make the bread toast up golden and and delicious.
Variations
- Break the Yolk. Use a fork to break and swirl the yolk into the white after adding the egg to the hole.
- Scrambled Eggs. Beat the yolk and white together well with a fork to make a scrambled egg in the hole.
- Add Cheese. Sprinkle your favorite shredded cheese on top of the egg and toast.
- Add Bacon Bits. Add a few bacon bits to a scrambled egg mixture or when breaking the yolk in the hole.
- Add Paprika. If you don't have fresh herbs, feel free to sprinkle sweet or smoked paprika over the egg.
Make-Ahead & Storage
Unfortunately this is not a dish you can make ahead before completion and freeze or refrigerate.
However, you can slice the bread, cut the holes in advance, and store the cut bread in a sealed plastic bag. The cut bread will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator or can be frozen and thawed before using it.
Make Eggs in a Basket for a Crowd with a Sheet Pan
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and place it in the pre-heated oven to warm.
- Generously butter both sides of the slices of bread.
- Cut the holes in the buttered bread.
- Place the bread and the hole cut-outs on the baking sheet and bake until the tops are light golden brown.
- Remove from oven, crack an egg into each hole, season with salt and pepper, and return to oven to cook the eggs to your liking.
You can cook bacon in the oven before the eggs for a brunch feast that is easy to make!
♡ Did you love this Eggs in a Basket recipe? Please leave a star rating and a comment below!
📖 Recipe
Eggs in a Basket
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Equipment
- 10" Skillet
- 2 ½" Cookie or Biscuit Cutter
- Silicone Spatula
Ingredients
- 2 Slices Rustic Bread, Like Italian or Sourdough Cut ¾" Inch Thick
- 3 Tablespoons Salted Butter
- 2 Large Eggs
- Fine Sea Salt, to Taste
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper, to Taste
Optional Garnish:
- Fresh Chives, Finely Chopped
Instructions
- Preheat. Preheat the oven to 400°F/204°C and heat a non-stick skillet on the stove over medium-high heat.
- Cut Holes in Bread. While the skillet heats, use a 2 ½-inch round biscuit or cookie cutter to cut out the centers of the sliced bread. Do not discard the centers.2 Slices Rustic Bread
- Toast the Bread. Melt the butter in the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bread and the cut-out bread rounds to the skillet and cook about 3 to 5 minutes or until the bread is golden. Use a spatula and turn the bread golden side up.3 Tablespoons Salted Butter
- Add the Eggs. Crack open each egg and place each in a small measuring cup or dish. Add each egg to the hole in each slice. Season the eggs to taste with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper.2 Large Eggs, Fine Sea Salt, Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Cook the Eggs. Place the pan in the oven and let the eggs cook until the white is set and the yolk is semi-set which will be between 4 to 5 minutes. To see how set the yolk is take a hot pad to protect your hand and give the pan a little shake. Runny yolks wobble greatly, and hard-cooked yolks will not wobble at all. If you are looking for a runny yolk, cook it for about 3 minutes.Alternatively, you can continue to cook the eggs in the pan instead of the oven by covering the pan with a lid and continuing to cook to your liking on the stove.
- Serve & Enjoy. Plate the egg toasts and the cut-out circles and garnish with fresh chopped chives.Fresh Chives
Notes
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and place it in the pre-heated oven to warm.
- Generously butter both sides of the slices of bread.
- Cut the holes in the buttered bread.
- Place the bread and the hole cut-outs on the baking sheet and bake until the tops are light golden brown.
- Remove from oven, crack an egg into each hole, season with salt and pepper, and return to oven to cook the eggs to your liking.
Nutrition
Per 1 serving. All nutritional information on this site is an estimate. Your results may vary.
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