Fried egg inside a circle cut out of a piece of bread

[Mean Mr. Mustard]

To clarify: You cut a circle out of the middle of a buttered piece of bread, plop it on a hot skillet, then crack an egg into the circle. After a few minutes you flip it. Yummy goodness.

Did your mom make this for you when you were a young-un? Do you still make them as an adult.

And, most importantly, what do you call this culinary dee-lite?


mmm

[Biggirl]

Yes, yes and Eggs in Bed.

My kids sometimes still request this and they're 24. Plus, I didn't know this was a "thing" until I saw V cook it in V For Vendetta.

[Marconi N. Cheese]

Yes, had them as a kid and still make them. I just tear a hole in the bread. We've always called them a "bird in the nest".

[not what you'd expect]

I've done this all my life. My son loves it when I make it for him, though I don't often get the chance to cook for him anymore. We always called it an egg in a basket or chicken in a basket.

I haven't made it in a long time...might have to correct that soon.

[Larry Mudd]

We had these as kids. In our house, they were called "Egg-in-the-holes."

I still bust it out as a quick toddler lunch once in a long while.

[Biggirl]

The poll is broken because Eggs in Bed isn't a choice. Although I guess the 'something else' option sorta fixes it. Never mind the broken vote. I've changed my mind about that.

[Sigmagirl]

Heard of it, never had one, don't have a name for it, needs a piece of cheese on it, want one right now.

[Mean Mr. Mustard]

Originally Posted by Sigmagirl

Heard of it, never had one, don't have a name for it, needs a piece of cheese on it, want one right now.

If you place a piece of cheese upon it, I will not argue with you and I will get into a physical confrontation with anyone who does.


mmm

[Leaffan]

Never heard of it, sounds great.
I want one Right Now.

[jz78817]

Originally Posted by Leaffan

Never heard of it, sounds great.
I want one Right Now.

same here.

[Shark Sandwich]

I make 'em for my kids. We've always called them "cloud in a window."

[nofloyd]

Bird's nest. Still make em.

[Maus Magill]

And now I want Eggs in a Basket.

Thanks.

[Airk]

No official name, because I didn't grow up with them. Discovered them in a cook book that listed them as "Toad in a Hole" and have been making them for years, but have no real attachment to the name. We usually just call it "Egg in toast" (as differentiated from the "Egg on top of a piece of toast" which is just "egg toast").

[Wheelz]

Joey mentioned making them for Chandler on an episode of Friends. That's where I first heard of it. He didn't give it a name, though; it was something like "I thought you liked eggs the way I make them, in the bread with the hole cut in it."

I haven't had eggs this way but now I want to try it.

[Skammer]

This sounds great. Do you butter both sides of the bread or just one?

[Munch]

Originally Posted by Skammer

This sounds great. Do you butter both sides of the bread or just one?

Both - you want the bread to toast nicely, like a grilled cheese. And feel free to add a very thin slice of cheese right before you flip it, along with a healthy dose of tobasco or Frank's.

[Skammer]

Originally Posted by Munch

Both - you want the bread to toast nicely, like a grilled cheese. And feel free to add a very thin slice of cheese right before you flip it, along with a healthy dose of tobasco or Frank's.

Add cheese before you flip it? Won't that make a gooey mess in the pan? I'd add the cheese right after flipping I think.

My frequent weekend breakfast is one or two fried eggs and a slice of cheese between two pieces of toast. This will be a fun variation.

[Barking Dog]

Originally Posted by Skammer

Add cheese before you flip it? Won't that make a gooey mess in the pan? I'd add the cheese right after flipping I think.

Not necessarily. A cheese with a high fat content, such as cheddar for instance, would do quite well in this application. It would be a gooey mess, but only for a bit. After melting, the fat (or a portion of it) will separate out and it will fry in it's own grease. You'll have a crispy cheesy crust that will easily come off the pan with nary a mess. Except for the leftover cheese grease of course. But that's nothing a little soap and water can't solve handily.

[Maus Magill]

Originally Posted by Skammer

This sounds great. Do you butter both sides of the bread or just one?

I make them by putting the bread down in the pan, then putting a pat of butter in the hole where the egg will go. I then swirl the bread a bit, to get the butter on it, so it will fry properly. After the butter's melted, i drop in the egg. (I'll break the egg into a custard cup to reduce the chances of a broken yolk.) While the egg is frying, I'll put slivers of butter on the exposed side of the bread, and then flip.

Fry that side for another minute, or two. Put it on your plate, and voila: Eggs in a Basket.

I also fry the cut out bits of bread.

I got some fresh eggs from a fellow doper the other day. I think I know what I'm eating for breakfast Saturday.

[Rhiannon8404]

My mom used to make this for us as kids. It was one of my favorites. We called it toad-in-a-hole. I haven't even thought of it in years. I think I might have one for breakfast.

[DrFidelius]

Damn your eyes. Now I want one, too.
Never had a special name for it, this was just one of the ways to make eggiwegs.

[silenus]

Had it, don't like it. You can never get the yolk hard enough cooking it this way.

[Biggirl]

Originally Posted by silenus

Had it, don't like it. You can never get the yolk hard enough cooking it this way.

The yolk is supposed to be runny. That's what the bread is for!

[pulykamell]

Originally Posted by Biggirl

The yolk is supposed to be runny. That's what the bread is for!

Egg-sactly. No point in this dish without the runny yolks. Hell, no point in eggs, in my opinion, without the runny yolk.

I've always called them "Toad in the hole," although I know that name traditionally refers to sausages cooked in Yorkshire pudding.

[GargoyleWB]

We've always called them a "Hopalong Cassidy". No idea why. Mrs G's family has always called them "Egg in a Nest".

[Meme Chose]

Huh? Partly cloudy bird nest in bed? That delicacy is properly called a Bullseye. The name is especially appropriate after you apply an outer circle of ketchup.

[Ellen Cherry]

We had them growing up but never really called them anything. I hate fried eggs, so I never make them. But they are cute.

[ladyfoxfyre]

Ketchup, blegh. Bird in a nest. Butter both sides. Also want one now.

[silenus]

Runny yolk is the Devil's snot. Yolks need to be cooked hard enough that they bounce if you throw them against the wall.

Anyway, they are called "Nested Eggs" or some variation thereof, at least around here.

[eberhama]

Mom made them when I was a youngin', haven't had them since then. They were called "One-Eyed Jacks" in our household. The circle of bread that mom fried up along with it was a much sought after delicacy.

[DirkGntly]

No, my mom never made them for me; yes, I make them for my kids. We call them "egg in a basket." It can be done with a scrambled egg, for those that prefer not to have a separate yolk.

[MrDibble]

Voted "Poll is broken" because there was no "Only had it as an adult, but not any more" option. I know this as Egg in a Nest (Egg in a Basket is when you line a muffin pan with the bread slice, crack the egg in that and bake until egg is cooked)

And Toad in the Hole is sausages in batter, you savages.

[Biggirl]

Originally Posted by MrDibble

Voted "Poll is broken" because there was no "Only had it as an adult, but not any more" option. I know this as Egg in a Nest (Egg in a Basket is when you line a muffin pan with the bread slice, crack the egg in that and bake until egg is cooked)

And Toad in the Hole is sausages in batter, you savages.

Your idea of Egg in a Basket intrigues me and I would like to subscribe to your newsletter. But only if your newsletter describes in more detail how to make these Eggs in a Basket.

[MrDibble]

Originally Posted by Biggirl

Your idea of Egg in a Basket intrigues me and I would like to subscribe to your newsletter. But only if your newsletter describes in more detail how to make these Eggs in a Basket.

Pretty much exactly like I said - get out the muffin pan, pre-heat the oven to 180 deg C (350 F), butter the muffin pan cups, press the sliced bread (I use wholewehet, but any bread will do) into it - you can cut it out neatly with a cookie cutter so it fits the pan cups, cut the crusts off an leave the corners sticking out, or leave the crusts on - pressing down on the bread to fit it to the pan sides. Then crack an egg into each cup, season with salt and pepper, and slip into the oven until cooked to taste (I must admit, I've never timed this bit, but it's just around 15 mins or so).

Variations include any combo of : laying a tablespoon or so of cheese (grated or cream) in the base before cracking the egg in, laying a cookie-cutter-cut disk of ham in the base, spooning/grating some cheese over the top, mixing some herbs or chopped spring onion on the top, and varying the seasonings (smoked paprika is great, for instance) .

You can also do it in ramekins, esp. if you want to serve it in them, but the bread should be toasty enough to serve as its own basket.

[IvoryTowerDenizen]

In our house it goes by the uber creative name "eggy in a hole".

I grew up calling it Rocky Mountain Toast.


Just for kicks, scrambled eggs served in a pita are called Kangaroo Eggs in our house.

[Loach]

Some variation of egg in a nest. Its been a very long time. Want one now.

[kittenblue]

Why couldn't I read this thread BEFORE I made myself breakfast for the first time in weeks? And I voted for a broken poll because I had it first as an adult, never made it for my kids, though I'd heard of it all my life...it was what OTHER people did. My mom didn't go in for cutesy or clever, and she would have issues with cutting out a piece of bread if there wasn't a solid, non-wasteful plan for what to do with the hole. And just standing there eating it while cooking would not, in her book, count.

My fella made this for me the first time he cooked me breakfast. We used sourdough bread. Lillith Fair's dog Lily got to eat the hole. I've always heard of it as Toad in the Hole, with Pigs in Blankets the term for sausages wrapped in biscuit dough.

[fiddlesticks]

Had it somewhere when I was a kid, it wasn't my mom who made it though. Must have been a restaurant (kinda doubt that), or maybe during a (presumably overnight) visit to a relative's or a friend's house. Toad-in-a-hole doesn't sound right, but I seem to remember it had a clever name.

Thanks for the vague memory!

[Morgenstern]

Round these parts, it's called a Bullseye.

[Hilarity N. Suze]

Originally Posted by Morgenstern

Round these parts, it's called a Bullseye.

Yes. I knew there was a name that wasn't on there. Bullseye it is.

[Sigmagirl]

I was expecting someone to mention the scene in Moonstruck where Loretta's mother makes her one when she drags herself in after her a long night out. It's perfectly acted and you can see she's done it hundreds of times before, and the cast iron skillet surely was handed down at least two generations.

[Johnny L.A.]

I know that traditionally 'toad in the hole' is sausages in Yorkshire pudding, but I've always heard egg-in-bread having that name here.

[IvoryTowerDenizen]

Originally Posted by fiddlesticks

Had it somewhere when I was a kid, it wasn't my mom who made it though. Must have been a restaurant (kinda doubt that), or maybe during a (presumably overnight) visit to a relative's or a friend's house. Toad-in-a-hole doesn't sound right, but I seem to remember it had a clever name.

Thanks for the vague memory!

Rocky Mountain Toast?

[Barking Dog]

It's egg in a basket, and I never cared for it much personally.

[Jackknifed Juggernaut]

I also have never heard of this, but it certainly sounds delicious. It's somewhat similar to Eggs Benedict, which I love. Can I assume that this concoction is typically enjoyed with a fork and knife?

[pulykamell]

Originally Posted by Jackknifed Juggernaut

I also have never heard of this, but it certainly sounds delicious. It's somewhat similar to Eggs Benedict, which I love. Can I assume that this concoction is typically enjoyed with a fork and knife?

That's the only way I've ever eaten it. I'm not sure you'd be able to eat it with your hands without getting it all over yourself or the egg possibly plopping out, but I've never actually observed others eating it outside my home.

[Scarlett67]

Egg in a basket, duh.

[Time Like Tears]

Discovered in my 20s, Toad in a Hole, both sides buttered, medium yolk, if I hadn't already made waffle batter I would be making some now.

[fiddlesticks]

Ah, Egg in a Basket...that's probably what it was called when I had it once... thanks Barking Dog.