toad in a hole, breakfast, eggs, toast

Photos by Cafe Sheri

Toad in the Hole is one of my favorite and super-simple breakfasts. Good for the whole family.

There are a ton of variations on Toad in the Hole, including the traditional British version with sausage and Yorkshire pudding. However, this is the plain egg-and-toast version of Toad in the Hole (also called egg in the basket, cowboy egg, egg-in-the-hole, one-eyed monster breakfast, and hobo eggs) that my mom used to make and now I make for my family:

1. Cut a few slices of bread (usually two per person; one per young child). I usually just use sliced whole wheat sandwich bread, but on this day, I had some Pugliese.

toad in a hole, breakfast, eggs, toast

2. With a sharp knife, cut a hole in the center of the bread, as large as you can, keeping the edges in tact. When I use sliced sandwich bread, I press a small juice glass into the bread to make a more precise circle. Remove the center.

toad in a hole, breakfast, eggs, toast

toad in a hole, breakfast, eggs, toast

3. Heat a pan to medium and toss a little butter in (about 1-2 tablespoons) and melt.

toad in a hole, breakfast, eggs, toast

4. Place your bread into the butter, rubbing it around so it gets coated in butter. Then carefully crack an egg into the open center of each piece of bread (no, the egg won't always spill out like it did below).

toad in a hole, breakfast, eggs, toast

5. Cook for about 4-6 minutes on each side (I like my eggs a little runny; others prefer more of a fried egg), adding salt and pepper to taste. I use a nice pinch of sea salt and a couple cracks of pepper on each side. Serve warm.

Enjoy!

Have you ever made Toad in the Hole?