Pinch My Salt

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Egg in a Nest

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From Egg in a hole, Toad in a Hole and Eggy in a Basket to Hobo Eggs, it seems that everyone calls this breakfast treat by a different name. But from now on I will call it Egg in a Nest thanks to a comment left on my Flickr photo! An egg tucked into a piece of bread and fried? Prior to 2006, I had never heard of such a thing. The first time I saw it was not in a kitchen but inside a movie theater. Actually, it was in a kitchen in the movie. V for Vendetta to be exact. Of course I didn’t realize that it was something that people actually ate in the real world. It looked very odd and I couldn’t figure out how the egg got into the bread! Of course I feel pretty silly now because it’s so simple to make! Thanks to my friend Nicki for the tutorial!

The first time I made this, I used homemade bread and I was able to cut some nice thick slices of bread. The thicker the bread, the smaller the hole needs to be. You can cut the hole with a knife, a small glass, a biscuit cutter, or anything else that you find handy. Or you can just tear a hole out of the center with your hands. It’s up to you, it’s your breakfast! This time around, I used a biscuit cutter to make a fairly large hole because the bread wasn’t very thick. It worked perfectly. I buttered one side of the bread, placed the dry side down in a buttered cast iron skillet, cracked an egg into the hole, sprinkled with a little salt and a lot of freshly ground black pepper and let it sizzle away for a few minutes. From here you can do one of two things. When the egg starts to set, you can carefully flip the bread over and cook it to your liking. Or, you can pop the whole pan under the broiler for a minute or two. This time I chose the latter and it worked rather well. I think I’ll stick with the broiler method from now on!

It’s nice to start the day off with a smile so whether you’re cooking for the kids or just tired of another boring breakfast alone, fry up some Eggs in a Nest and have fun!

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  1. Arturo C. says

    I love the egg in a nest it is fun to make, i can't wait to make these in christmas morning for me and my family :)
    Reply

  3. annbb says

    Grew up in the early '60's calling them one-eyed Egyptians. They were also featured in that Cher and Olympia Dukakis (sp) movie, Moonstruck. All I know is I LOVE them.
    Reply

  4. glen says

    Our family call them One Eyed Egyptian sandwich, (Australia) and we called them that for 60 years, A tip, butter both sides of bread (use toast thickness bread), I cut the hole with egg cup or shot glass,Put bread in pan and cook both sides untill light brown, Then add a small nob of butter in hole then egg,( lower heat ) lift egg/bread, add another small nob of butter in pan and turn egg/bread so the yolk lines up with butter nob. I like to eat 'em with tomato sauce and Chlli sauce (the thick chinese kind)
    Reply

  5. Holly K says

    Another whose dear old Dad made these for us as children. We LOVED them and I still make them from time to time. Egg In the Hole to us. We used whichever cookie cutter we fancied that day for the hole and fried up the cut out as well. What is different from others that I've read is that we would fry bacon first, keep it warm in the oven, fry one side of the bread and cutouts in the bacon grease, flip them, break the egg into the hole and cook until the eggs were how everyone liked them. Hardly a low fat dish but they are so YUM. I still make them from time to time, always remembering my Daddy as I'm cooking.
    Reply

  6. Joan Hansen says

    These are known as "Egyptian Eyes" in my family. I agree that the separately fried circle is a tremendous treat. Also, I am older and have hand tremors. Making eggs this way ensures that I don't break my yolks while turning it over.
    Reply

  8. Britt Nilsson says

    My mom called them "Chicken on a Raft". I like cooking them in butter fortified with a little EVOO or canola oil. You can cook 'em quicker without burning the butter as easily. I've loved them since I was a kid fifty something years ago. I put some ketchup on the side... (Adds another food group, right?)
    Reply

  9. Vicky says

    We call them Angels eyes..used to make them often when my children were small. Toad in the hole is sausages cooked in Yorkshire pudding batter to a Brit.
    Reply

  12. Georgina says

    Hi Juliette, They don't really bake well. To bake eggs you need a moist base really like a ratatouille for example.
    Reply

  13. Peggy says

    if you're making this for yourself, fold the bread in half gently and just bite a hole in the middle of the folded edge!
    Reply

  14. RhodaRoo says

    This is so funny. I just made these for my boyfriend, and he had never heard of them! They were known as One Eyed Swedes in our family, and we had them after midnight services every Christmas Eve with broiled grapefruit. A true act of love is giving up the little, delicious fried circle to someone else at the table.
    Reply

  15. jess says

    My mom and I call them egg on an island. We usually make the hole just big enough for the yoke fit in then the egg white soaks into the bread. Egg and toast all in one! What more can you want?
    Reply

  17. Sam Andreski says

    There is a seasoning called All-Purpose Pleasoning its kind of a season salt that goes GREAT on these http://www.pleasoning.com/product/001-all-purpose
    Reply

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