When the new day dawns with its glorious array of sunbeams and there’s lots to be done, it helps to have a cheerful real food breakfast to wake up the sleepyheads. Egg-in-the-basket is one of the easiest I know and a favorite around here.
An egg fried in the center of a piece of bread—a simple concoction that raises the union of my two favorite breakfast foods, eggs and toast, to a whole new level. I’ve heard this combo referred to as Popeye, toad-in-the-hole, and the more literal eggs-in-toast.
Wikipedia gives even more: moon-egg, Kibbee Egg, hen-on-the-nest, cowboy-egg, and one-eyed-jack.
I can’t say enough good about my cast iron skillet. It makes the best omelet, frittata, or eggs I’ve ever tasted. French toast is perfect flipped on the shiny, hot surface. Eggs just do so well on cast iron.
We gave up our aluminum and ‘non-stick surface’ skillets after reading about transference of chemicals to our food. At the time, I was apprehensive. I had never cooked with cast iron, but I found not only does it save cleaning time, but it is healthier, and eggs and omelets practically slide out of the skillet when ready.
Don’t be disgusted, but we haven’t washed our cast iron with soap for over a year. There is no need unless you stop using it for a period of time and wish to store it. The photo below was taken after making French toast and removing it with a metal spatula. If there are a few fragments of cooked egg, I wipe them off with a paper towel and store the skillet in the oven. It is still very hot when I place it there to wait for the next use – probably the next day.
Easy Egg-In-the-Basket
You’ll need:
- 1 egg per each slice of bread (we use Ezekiel 4: 9 sprouted grain bread)
- coconut oil – does not smell or taste like coconut in this recipe; other oils are altered by high heat
- a hot cast iron skillet
Directions:
- Simply take a slice of bread and use a round cookie cutter or the top of a juice glass to make a hole. Sometimes when I’m in a hurry, I just tear out a round section. Save the cut-out to fry in the skillet and dip in the soft yolk or in raw honey.
- While you are preparing the bread slices, melt 1-2 TBSP of coconut oil in your skillet and heat it to where an egg will fry, but not too hot. Coconut oil is the healthiest of the oils, and it tastes so much like butter when pan fried and salted.
- Crack a golden-yolked egg into the ‘basket’, let fry, and flip with a metal spatula until both sides are just right. If you like your yolk cooked, this is the time to break the yolk. The bread (and the hole you saved) will absorb the oil as the egg fries and become crispy and perfectly browned.
- Add a bit of sea salt and pepper, if desired.
- Serve with sliced fruit and a big glass of milk.
If you’ve ever had fried bread as a child, this will bring back those delightful memories.
Mmmmm…hot, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, egg-in-a-blanket!
With a 14 or 16″ cast iron skillet you can make 2 or 3 egg-in-the-baskets at one time. This would be a great meal skill to teach to your younger children. Demonstrating and allowing him or her to help the first two or three times will allay any fears and you will be able to slowly work yourself out of a job!
It gets everyone in the groove to being productive early in the morning, and there can be much accomplished by noon.
Also, much is gained in a family at mealtime. It’s the best time to communicate, plan ahead, relieve stress, build camaraderie, and laugh together. It is one of the major things to which I can attribute our family closeness.
Studies show that the more often families eat together, the less likely kids are to smoke, drink, do drugs, get depressed, develop eating disorders and consider suicide, and the more likely they are to do well in school, delay having sex, eat their vegetables, learn big words and know which fork to use.
Have you heard of egg-in-a-basket before? What do you call an egg fried in the hole of a slice of bread?
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“Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!” ~Psalm 107: 15
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Thanks for reading!
Roxy says
Well, I must say I have never seen a post on Eggs in a basket, but I sure make them often! I loved this, as yes, I do give thanks to the giver of life and ask his provisions!
Yummy, Guess I will have to prepare this tomorrow morning for breakfast with fresh eggs. Have a wonderful weekend!
Blessings, Roxy
Jacqueline says
I am so glad ‘eggs-in-a-basket’ is making a come-back!! Sending warm thoughts and prayers to you, Roxy!
Blessings 🙂
Joy says
Thanks so much for reminding me about these! We used to make them regularly, but then somehow we forgot about them, and it’s been years since I made eggs like this! 🙂
Jacqueline says
Haha! It will bring a smile to their dear faces, then! Love you and will keep praying, dear one. The Lord knows it all and IS guiding you even this moment!
Toni says
Hi Jacqueline! Aren’t those eggs-in-the-basket fun for kids (and adults, too!) I must have lived under a rock growing as I’d never heard of them until several years ago when the granddaughters were coming to our house on a daily basis. They enlightened me. After that we nearly wore out our iron skillets making them. 😉 You’re exactly right, there is nothing better to cook with than cast iron. I have way too many iron skillets and dutch ovens, but there have been times when I used them all as I cook outside sometimes when there’s no more room on the stove. I just love cast iron – if you have a minute you might like a look at some of my other cast iron pieces: http://foothillsofthegreatsmokymountains.blogspot.com/search?q=cast+iron
Have a wonderfully blessed weekend!
Jacqueline says
Thank you, Toni! I will 😀 You are a gem, sweet friend 🙂
Toni says
The shawl you asked about is finished except for sewing on the slightly ruffled border. The body of it (in the picture) was not difficult, but the border had my eyes crossing. 😉 I haven’t looked at it in several years. I’m glad you mentioned it as I need to finish it. I’ve crocheted and knitted a lot of shawls, but this one is my favorite as it has beautiful drape. I used a sport weight yarn with a cotton/linen mix. It’s kinda dressy – great for a wedding. Thank you for the compliment on it. It’s raining here, too, thank the Lord! We had an unusually dry September. I’m looking forward to cooler weather. Hope you have a cozy weekend!
Lee Ann says
My husband learned to fix these from his mother who called them egg nests. They are delicious.
amy says
I’ve never made these, but I think my kids would love them. Thanks for the simple, healthy idea!
Jacqueline says
You are welcome, Amy! Enjoy and have a terrific weekend!
Janie says
another idea to try with! I and my husband love french toast, now we can add another favorite to our list;-) thanks for sharing Ma’am Jac=)
Janie says
another idea to try with! I and my husband love french toast, now we can add another one on the list. Thanks for sharing Ma’am Jac;-)
Jacqueline says
Thank you, Janie! I am so glad it will be something you make for your husband 😀
Hee hee! I love that…Ma’am Jac! What a precious nickname! I may just have to ask some little ones at our church to start calling me that 🙂
Amanda says
Hi, I don`t know how to contact you except right here,hope that`s okay!
Would you like to do a review and giveaway of my book’Good and Healthy Cooking’?
My daughter and I made this book as a homeschool project. The recipes contain no white sugar,no white flour,no hydrogenated oils. The full color,full page pictures of each recipe are professionally photographed and there are some instructional photos.
Please check it out at Good and Healthy Cooking.com
Thank you,and God bless your ministry,
Amanda Stoltzfus