Egg in a Hole is a delicious piece of buttery, toasty bread with a piece cut out of the center for an egg. Perfect for a savory breakfast or brunch.
Egg in a Hole, or toad in a hole, is a classic Breakfast Recipe that’s easy and quick to make. Enjoy it with a cup of coffee and easy breakfast sides like Hashbrowns and Fruit Salad.
EGG IN A HOLE
Egg in a Hole is the perfect way to enjoy eggs and toast in a more fun and adorable way. Instead of just serving the fried eggs over a piece of toast, you cut a hole in the center of the bread and fry the egg directly inside of it. The runny yolk breaks open as you eat and soaks beautifully into the buttery toast. They’re the perfect start to your morning with protein, filling bread, and lots of delicious flavors.
Egg in a hole is usually made with simple White Bread, but you can make it with wheat bread, whole grain bread or any other bread you happen to have in the house. Or, if you like mixing savory and sweet, serve it up in a sweet quick bread like Cinnamon Swirl Bread. Just cut a hole in the center, toast it up, and enjoy!
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TIPS FOR MAKING EGG IN A HOLE BREAKFAST
- Bread: To easily cut a hole in the center of each slice of bread, use a biscuit cutter or cookie cutter. This is a great way to make nice even sized circles. Add butter to a skillet over medium heat. Once the butter has melted add the slice of bread and cook for 2 minutes.
- Eggs: Crack an egg into the center of the bread. Cook for 2 minutes, and then carefully flip the bread. Make sure you get your spatula completely under the bread to not break the egg when you flip it. Season with salt and pepper and cook for another minute. Once the bread is golden brown, the whites are cooked, and the yolk is at your preferred doneness take it from the pan and serve.
- Finish: Repeat the same steps on the other 3 slices of bread. You can also cook them all at the same time on a griddle so that they’re all ready at the same time.

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VARIATIONS ON EGG IN A HOLE
- Bread: You can try different kinds of bread for this recipe like wheat bread, whole grain bread, sourdough, rye bread, or brioche.
- Add-ons: Try adding slices of tomato, spinach, or bell peppers to your toast. You could also spread some mashed avocado on the bread to make avocado toast with egg.
- Spicy: You can add a bit of heat and flavor to the recipe by adding hot sauce to the top of the eggs. You could also use cayenne pepper instead.
- Seasonings: You can also add different seasonings to your eggs along with the salt and pepper. Try out dried or fresh thyme, dill, garlic, parsley, oregano, or paprika.
- Meat: You can also serve classic breakfast meats over the bread and egg combo. Try cooking up some bacon, sausage, or ham steak. Either serve the meat on the side of the Egg in a Hole or put the meat over the top. You could also sprinkle cooked bacon bits into the egg before it’s cooked so that the eggs cook around the bacon.
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HOW TO STORE EGG IN A HOLE
- Serve: Don’t leave your cooked eggs at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
- Store: Unfortunately this breakfast is best served fresh. The yolk will most likely break if you try to store it and just make a mess. If you have any leftovers, you’d be better off just tossing them.


Ingredients
- 4 slices sandwich bread
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 large eggs
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
Instructions
- Cut a 2-inch circle out of the middle of the slices of bread with a biscuit or cookie cutter.
- Add butter to a large skillet on medium-high heat.
- Add bread and cook for 2 minutes.
- Break an egg into each hole and cook for 2 minutes.
- Flip bread carefully, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 1 more minute.
I learned this recipe back in Home Economics. It was called “Egg in Frame” back then, same recipe. I still make this!