Egg In A Hole – Easy 10-Minute Dish With Endless Variations!

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Last Updated on April 3, 2022

Egg in a hole is an incredible quick easy breakfast dish. Despite seeming simplistic, it has a ton of delicious variations to make it exciting every time!

You can switch it up by using different kinds of eggs or even use them in a different way. We love making scrambled eggs instead of frying whole eggs. And, you can also serve these items with delicious relishes, sauces, or accompaniments like bacon!

What Is An Egg In A Hole?

This tasty dish goes by many names. Egg with a hat, egg in a basket, gas-house egg, or simply, egg in toast. Unfortunately, there are also a few variations of the dish itself which is why many people are confused as to what exactly an egg in a hole is.

In its simplest form, an egg in a hole is made by frying an egg inside of a slice of buttered toast.

This dish was created around the same time Eggs Benedict became popular. However, the exact origin is unknown. It is said that this dish was brought to America by a wide range of cultures, transferred through generations by word-of-mouth. So, this also explains why there are a few variations on this dish.

Regardless of which you are familiar with, we always grew up with arguably the most basic version. But, we will get into exactly how to make a simple version of egg in a hole and how to make some of the popular variations you may be more familiar with.

What Do You Need To Make An Egg In A Hole?

Making this delicious breakfast dish is very simple. And, you can even have it for lunch or dinner! To make it, all that you need is some bread slices, butter, and eggs.

Toast

Bread is one of the main components of this dish. Now, you can choose any type of bread that you’d like, but some types will work a lot better than others. Your bread slice should be about 1/2-inch thick (at the very least), large enough to hold a large egg in a hole, and have a texture that won’t break apart.

We prefer using simple white bread slices, but loaves like ciabatta or sourdough also work well.

We try to stay away from seeded loaves or any extremely dense bread slices, like rye bread or pumpernickel.  Enriched bread also tends to overpower the delicious and simple flavors of the egg, which is what you preferably want to feature.

Furthermore, you want the bread slice to hold its shape. So, anything too soft will also not work very well.

And, when it comes to thickness and overall size of the slice, then flatbreads or baguettes won’t work at all. Flatbreads won’t be able to hold the actual egg. It will simply run over the bread and not cook how it is supposed to. And, baguettes are simply not large enough, even when sliced diagonally. You won’t have any bread left after cutting a hole!

Butter

We highly recommend using butter to toast the bread inside of the pan. Oil just adds, well, oiliness. Even when using olive oil, despite it producing extremely crispy slices, the flavor doesn’t go well with this dish.

Salted butter is amongst one of our favorite all-time ingredients. It adds richness to the slice of toast, a touch of saltiness, and makes the bread slice golden brown and crispy.

Egg

You can use any type of egg you want. Traditionally, large chicken eggs are used. But, you can use a size that works for the slice of toast you have. Or, if you want to experiment, you can even use duck eggs or quail eggs.

You will often see restaurants sell this dish and price it according to the eggs used. They will make free-range organic eggs much more expensive than regular chicken eggs.

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How Do You Make A Classic Egg In A Hole?

You won’t believe how easy it is to make an egg in a hole! First, start by slicing a whole loaf of bread into 3/4-inch slices. If you buy pre-sliced bread, then they have to have slices that are at least 1/2-inch thick.

Then, cut a 2 1/2 to 3-inch hole in the middle of the slice. You can use a cookie cutter or free-hand it.

Next, melt some salted butter inside of a non-stick pan, making sure it coats the entire surface evenly. Add the slice of bread to the pan and allow it to toast until it becomes golden brown and crispy.

Then, flip the slice over and crack one egg into the cut-out hole. Cover the eggs with a pan lid and allow them to completely cook.

Once cooked, you can serve the egg in a hole immediately with some seasoning ingredients or accompaniments.

Variations of egg in a hole

Now, the majority of variations for egg in a hole comes from how it is served. You can naturally make a basic recipe like the one we have described above. However, you can play around with the egg part of the recipe.

We absolutely love scrambling eggs with some freshly chopped chives and seasoning ingredients, pouring the mixture into the hole, and allowing it to bake.

You can also make this entire recipe inside of the oven on a cookie sheet pan. Just make sure that the surface is non-stick.

Accompaniments for egg in a hole

There are a ton of accompaniments you can serve along with egg in a hole. Our favorite is, of course, bacon! But, you can serve these with some pork sausages, cheese grillers, or chorizo slices.

Then, you can also garnish the dish with a delicious topping such as Chakalaka or tomato relish. Even a simple hollandaise sauce or truffle mayo will elevate this simple dish.

And, for our vegetarian friends, make a delicious red bell pepper relish or some sautéed mushrooms. The possibilities are literally endless!

Conclusion

Let us know what you think about this fantastic quick and easy breakfast dish. We guarantee that it will be a new family favorite! And, because of its versatility, you will never run out of serving options!

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