Egg in a Basket – Toad in a Hole Recipe
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Egg in a Basket is a simple, yet delicious breakfast dish that you can have on the table in less than 10 minutes. A variation of the classic British dish – toad in the hole – this recipe features just toast and a runny fried egg.
Egg in a Basket Recipe
Toad in a Hole, Egg in a Hole, Hole in One, Eggs in a Nest, Frog Eyes, One-Eyed Jack—whatever you call these, they are a treat. There’s approximately 10 different names for this egg recipe.
Frog eyes are a simple skillet egg recipe. If you want to make several eggs in a hole at once, try using an electric gridle. My husband eats three or four of these at a time, so I typically prefer the electric griddle. He’s a hard-working farmer who needs the nourishment to sustain him through the day.
The butter and olive oil together toasts the bread to a delicious golden brown, and the toasted middle piece is perfect for dipping in the runny egg.
Toad in a Hole
My husband and I started eating these toad in hole eggs when we first got married. He saw someone make them on tv, and he was bound and determined to make them himself. We’ve been eating them ever sense; although we most often call them frog eyes.
The little crispy center is perfect to dip in the runny egg. My girls don’t like their eggs runny, so I just go ahead and cook until the center is set. It’s the same except for the fried egg in the center instead of the runny egg.
This easy egg dish can be made for dinner for a quick weeknight meal. Sometimes we want our eggs a bit fancier, so we make our Baked Eggs and Asparagus dish.
If the kids turn their noses up at runny eggs, go ahead and break the yolks. If they still complain, fix them scrambled eggs in the microwave while making yourself this dish. Here are directions from Beyer Beware.
Runny Egg in Toast
Frog eyes is Kevin’s favorite breakfast and we started making it together when we were first married. Growing up, we only ate eggs over hard or scrambled at our house. This is the recipe that turned me on to runny eggs, and I didn’t know what I was missing!
We call this recipe Toad in the Hole in our house but when I went to share it on the blog, I realized it’s more of an Egg in a Basket! A classic Toad in the Hole breakfast features sausage baked within a Yorkshire pudding but many call a sunny side egg cooked within a piece of toast by the same name.
Have some fun with the shape of the hole in the bread by using different shaped cookie cutters like a heart or a flower. Don’t have cookie cutters? Use a drinking glass to make the hole.
What do I need to Make Eggs in a Basket?
Ingredient List for Egg in a Basket
- Bread (your favorite type–white, wheat, rye, etc.)
- Large Eggs
- Butter and/or Olive Oil
- Salt and Black Pepper
How to Make Eggs in a Basket
Step by Step Instructions
- Melt butter and olive oil in a large skillet or on a griddle over medium heat to medium-high heat.
- Cut a hole in the middle of a piece of bread. A biscuit cutter works great for this step. Butter the center of the bread on both sides and place in skillet.
- Place the outer piece of bread in the skillet and crack an egg in the middle.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Cook until bottom of bread is browned and flip with a spatula. Cook for another 30 seconds or until the egg is cooked to your desired amount.
Full recipe steps and ingredient amounts for eggs in a hole is found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Recipe Variations
- Use any type of sliced bread. White bread, whole wheat bread, sourdough bread, brioche, etc.
- Garnish with fresh herbs such as parsley, dill or chives.
- Serve along side sliced avocados and bacon, or garnish with fried bacon bits.
- Use liquid egg whites instead of whole eggs, if desired.
- Cook it with a runny egg yolk or fry it hard.
- Sprinkle with paprika or garlic powder.
- Add a dash of hot sauce or sriracha.
Easy Breakfast Recipes
We love breakfast foods and often find ourselves making breakfast for dinner. There is nothing better than an easy breakfast recipe (like the pancake and sausage casserole seen below). Check out some of our favorite breakfast dishes linked below.
- Oven Pancake Casserole
- Egg & Sausage Breakfast Casserole
- Easy Swedish Oatmeal Pancakes
- Cheesy Egg Casserole
- Baked Oatmeal
- Make-Ahead Ham and Cheese Quiche
Linking up to Weekend Potluck!
Egg in a Basket – Toad in a Hole Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 4 eggs or however many you want to make
- 4 slices bread or however many you want to make
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat griddle or skillet over medium/high heat.
- Add butter and olive oil; heat until butter is melted, and it starts to sizzle.
- Use a cookie cutter (glass or mason jar band works too) to cut a hole in the bread.
- Put the outer bread pieces on the griddle. Crack an egg in the center, ensuring the yolk doesn’t break. Butter the bread cirlces and add to the griddle. Season with salt and pepper.
- Cook for approximately 1 minute or until bottom of bread gets toasted.
- Before flipping, you can drizzle the top with additional olive oil if desired.
- Flip and cook for 30 seconds to a minute of until the desired doneness.
- To eat, dip the toasted bread circles into the runny eggs.
Notes
- If you’re making several of these, consider using an electric gridle.Â
- I love the combination of butter and olive oil but you can stick to using one or the other.Â
- If you want a sunny side up egg instead of an over easy egg, toast one side of the bread in the oil, flip and then add the egg and let it cook to your preference.
- Have an abundance of eggs? Try Sausage and Egg Casserole or Ham and Cheese Quiche.Â
- The nutritional information below is auto-calculated and can vary depending on the products used.
Nutrition
