Fried-egg-in-a-hole-in-a-slice-of-bread

When I was in high school, I spent a ridiculous amount of time at my friend Julia’s house. I was there so much that I would sometimes be the one making afternoon snacks for her little brothers when they’d come home from school. Other times, I would spend the night and make breakfast with her mom the next morning.

Growing up in an immigrant Asian household, I had a lot to learn about American food, even as a teenager. The first time I ever had whole wheat toast was at Julia’s house. It was also there that I ate my first spinach salad (they eat leafy greens RAW?) and learned about this crazy thing called casseroles.

But the one thing (the one thing!) that amazed me the most was something Julia’s mom called “A Hole in One.” It’s a slice of bread grilled in a pan with a fried egg in the middle—in the middle of the bread!! What?!? I could not get over this. For weeks after I learned about this, I made it several times a week and did not stop eating it until I ran out of eggs. Years later, I discovered that this delectable American breakfast dish goes by many names: “Egg in a Hole,” “Egg in a Basket," "Frog in a Hole," etc... And apparently, this can be done in a waffle, too!! I'll do variations on this for another post.

Now after many years of experimenting, I’ve discovered my favorite way to make this dish: with unsalted butter, one large egg, crusty bread and some salt/black pepper to taste. Occasionally I make this for my roommate. And every time she tells me, “My grandma made this for me when I was a kid!” One time I made it for my boyfriend, who ate it in 30 seconds flat

Tools needed:
1) A non-stick frying pan with a lid
2) A glass cup or cookie cutter—small enough to cut a hole in a slice of bread without piercing the outside crust, but large enough to make a hole that will fit an egg

Ingredients needed:
1) Large slice of crusty bread
2) Unsalted butter, room temp
3) One large egg
4) Salt/pepper

To make fried-egg-in-a-hole-in-a-slice-of-bread, simply cut a hole in your choice of bread and butter both sides with unsalted butter to your desired buttery-ness. Heat up your pan to medium heat, then place buttered bread into the pan; reduce heat to simmer. Add a little bit of butter (1/2 teaspoon or so) to the hole in the bread onto the frying pan; crack and egg inside. Cover the pan with a lid for about 2-3 minutes. Remove the lid and flip the bread over (adding butter to the pan, if needed) and fry uncovered for another 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle with salt/pepper to taste. Serve with bacon and mixed green salad for the best breakfast ever!

Recipe recap in pictures...