Egg in a Basket Breakfast Recipe - These Old Cookbooks (2024)

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Egg in a Basket is a simple, yet delicious breakfast dish that you can have on the table in less than 10 minutes. A variation of the classic British dish – toad in the hole – this recipe features just toast and a runny fried egg.

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Egg in a Basket Recipe

Toad in a Hole, Egg in a Hole, Hole in One, Eggs in a Nest, Frog Eyes, One-Eyed Jack—whatever you call these, they are a treat.

Frog eyes are a simple skillet egg recipe. If you want to make several eggs in a hole at once, try using an electric gridle. My husband eats three or four of these at a time, so I typically prefer the electric gridle. He’s a hard-working farmer who needs the nourishment to sustain him through the day.

The butter and olive oil together toasts the bread to a delicious golden brown, and the toasted middle piece is perfect for dipping in the runny egg.

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Toad in a Hole

My husband and I started eating these toad in hole eggs when we first got married. He saw someone make them on tv, and he was bound and determined to make them himself. We’ve been eating them ever sense; although we most often call them frog eyes.

The little crispy center is perfect to dip in the runny egg. My girls don’t like their eggs runny, so I just go ahead and cook until the center is set. It’s the same except for the fried egg in the center instead of the runny egg.

This easy egg dish can be made for dinner for a quick weeknight meal. Sometimes we want our eggs a bit fancier, so we make our Baked Eggs and Asparagus dish.

If the kids turn their noses up at runny eggs, go ahead and break the yolks. If they still complain, fix them scrambled eggs in the microwave while making yourself this dish. Here are directions from Beyer Beware.

Runny Egg in Toast

Frog eyes is Kevin’s favorite breakfast and we started making it together when we were first married. Growing up, we only ate eggs over hard or scrambled at our house. This is the recipe that turned me on to runny eggs, and I didn’t know what I was missing!

We call this recipe Toad in the Hole in our house but when I went to share it on the blog, I realized it’s more of an Egg in a Basket! A classic Toad in the Hole breakfast features sausage baked within a Yorkshire pudding but many call a sunny side egg cooked within a piece of toast by the same name.

Have some fun with the shape of the hole in the bread by using different shaped cookie cutters like a heart or a flower. Don’t have cookie cutters? Use a drinking glass to make the hole.

What do I need to Make Eggs in a Basket?

Ingredient List for Egg in a Basket

Bread (your favorite type–white, wheat, rye, etc.)

Eggs

Butter and/or Olive Oil

Salt and Black Pepper

How to Make Eggs in a Basket on a Griddle or in a Skillet

Instructions:

  1. Heat the butter and olive oil in a skillet or on a griddle over medium to high heat.
  2. Cut a hole in the middle of a piece of bread and butter the inner piece of bread on both sides and place in skillet.
  3. Place the outer piece of bread in the skillet and crack an egg in the middle.
  4. Season with salt and pepper.
  5. Cook until bottom of bread is browned and flip. Cook for another 30 seconds or until the egg is cooked to your desired amount.

Full recipe steps and ingredient amounts for eggs in a hole is found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

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Egg in a Basket Breakfast Recipe - These Old Cookbooks (16)

Print Recipe

Egg in a Basket - Toad in a Hole Recipe

Egg in a Basket is a simple, yet delicious breakfast dish that you can have on the table in less than 10 minutes. A variation of the classic British dish - toad in the hole - this one features just toast and a runny fried egg.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time5 minutes mins

Total Time10 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: easy egg recipe, egg in a basket, egg in a hole, frog eyes, runny eggs, skillet egg recipe, toad in the hole

Servings: 4

Calories: 195kcal

Author: Barbara

Ingredients

  • 1 Tablespoon butter
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 4 eggs or however many you want to make
  • 4 slices bread or however many you want to make
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Heat griddle or skillet over medium/high heat.

  • Add butter and olive oil; heat until butter is melted, and it starts to sizzle.

    Egg in a Basket Breakfast Recipe - These Old Cookbooks (17)

  • Use a cookie cutter (glass or mason jar band works too) to cut a hole in the bread.

    Egg in a Basket Breakfast Recipe - These Old Cookbooks (18)

  • Put the outer bread pieces on the griddle. Crack an egg in the center, ensuring the yolk doesn't break. Butter the bread cirlces and add to the griddle. Season with salt and pepper.

    Egg in a Basket Breakfast Recipe - These Old Cookbooks (19)

  • Cook for approximately 1 minute or until bottom of bread gets toasted.

    Egg in a Basket Breakfast Recipe - These Old Cookbooks (20)

  • Before flipping, you can drizzle the top with additional olive oil if desired.

  • Flip and cook for 30 seconds to a minute of until the desired doneness.

    Egg in a Basket Breakfast Recipe - These Old Cookbooks (21)

  • To eat, dip the toasted bread circles into the runny eggs.

    Egg in a Basket Breakfast Recipe - These Old Cookbooks (22)

Notes

  • If you're making several of these, consider using an electric gridle.
  • I love the combination of butter and olive oil but you can stick to using one or the other.
  • If you want a sunny side up egg instead of an over easy egg, toast one side of the bread in the oil, flip and then add the egg and let it cook to your preference.
  • Have an abundance of eggs? Try Sausage and Egg Casserole or Ham and Cheese Quiche.

Nutrition

Calories: 195kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 171mg | Sodium: 233mg | Potassium: 112mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 325IU | Calcium: 63mg | Iron: 2mg

Egg in a Basket Breakfast Recipe - These Old Cookbooks (2024)

FAQs

What is the Iggy in the basket? ›

The dish consists of a slice of bread with an egg in the middle, fried with butter or oil. It is commonly prepared by cutting a circular or square hole in the center of a piece of bread, which may be buttered. The bread is fried in a pan with butter, margarine, cooking oil, or other fat.

What is the British name for egg in a hole? ›

It's earned a slew of monikers, from the strange to the provocative: bird's nest, egg-in-a-basket, the Popeye, the one-eyed jack, and in a confusing twist to Brits, a toad-in-a-hole.

Who invented egg in a basket? ›

What Are the Origins of Eggs in a Basket? Eggs in a basket have a somewhat ambiguous history and no clear birthplace, although references of their existence begin as early as the 1890s, when a recipe for “egg in a hat” was published in Fannie Farmer's Boston Cooking School Cookbook.

Why are they called Iggys? ›

Their name is in reference to the breed's popularity in Renaissance Italy. Iggys are the smallest of the sighthounds and were originally bred as companion dogs that could hunt small game. Italian Greyhounds demand attention and can become possessive of their owners.

Is Iggy short for Italian Greyhound? ›

These lively dogs form strong emotional bonds and have earned the nickname of 'velcro dogs' because they like to be near their owners. They have a great deal of energy but are also couch potatoes when they're indoors. Historically favoured by kings and queens, Italian Greyhounds are affectionately known as 'Iggys'.

Does Cracker Barrel still do eggs in a basket? ›

The Cracker Barrel Egg in a Basket is a favorite breakfast menu item at the restaurant.

What did Cracker Barrel take off their menu? ›

11 Discontinued Cracker Barrel Menu Items We're Probably Not Getting Back
  • Fried Chicken Liver. Stanley Y/Tripadvisor. ...
  • Strawberries n' Cream French Toast. Cracker Barrel Old Country Store/Facebook. ...
  • Chicken Salad Sandwich. ...
  • Frozen Mugs. ...
  • Haddock Dinner. ...
  • Baked Apple Dumplin' ...
  • Red-Eye Gravy. ...
  • Campfire Meals.
Jan 29, 2024

What are other names for eggs in a basket? ›

The Many Names for an Eggs In A Basket Recipe
  • Egg in a nest.
  • Egg in a hole.
  • Toad in a hole.
  • Bullseye eggs.
  • Hobo Eggs.
  • Holy Eggs.
  • Eggs in a frame.
  • Birdie in a basket.
Apr 7, 2016

What do British people call boiled eggs? ›

We call poached eggs “poached eggs” and boiled eggs (whether hard or soft) “boiled eggs”. We might be more specific about the boiled eggs and call t them “hard boiled eggs” or “soft boiled eggs”. What do you call a soft boiled egg in the UK? We call that “a soft boiled egg”.

What do British people call fried eggs? ›

In the UK, the only kind of fried egg is what an American would call "sunny side up" and what we just call "a fried egg". If you ask for any other variety of fried egg, almost nobody will understand you: we simply don't cook eggs like that.

What is a fried egg in the middle of toast called? ›

While this dish is commonly called “eggs in a basket”, “egg in a hole”, “toad in a hole”, or “egg in a nest”. The correct name is “Alabama Eggs” because they are in bread.

What is proverbial eggs in basket? ›

Meaning: This is a piece of advice which means that one should not concentrate all efforts and resources in one area as one could lose everything.

What do Americans call toad in the hole? ›

Egg in a Basket features an egg fried in the hole of a buttery slice of bread. The dish goes by several other names as well; Americans sometimes call it Toad in the Hole, but that title more properly refers to the traditional English dish of Yorkshire pudding with sausage and onion gravy.

Why do people put all their eggs in one basket? ›

If someone puts all their eggs in one basket, they put all their effort or resources into doing one thing so that, if it fails, they have no alternatives left. The key word here is diversify; don't put all your eggs in one basket.

What kind of eggs does Cracker Barrel use? ›

WE USE INGREDIENTS LIKE GRADE A FARM FRESH EGGS, OUR OWN SPECIAL GOLDEN DELICIOUS FRIED APPLES, THICK-SLICED HICKORY-SMOKED BACON AND COUNTRY OR SUGAR CURED HAM.

How to make a basket egg? ›

Place the bread on the griddle with the butter-side down. Break 1 egg into a small dish and gently slide it into the hole in the bread. If the pan is big enough to cook both at the same time, repeat the process with the remaining egg and bread slice. Cook until the egg is golden on the bottom, 1 to 2 minutes.

Does Cracker Barrel use cage free eggs? ›

Our Commitments

We're committed to transitioning 100% of our egg supply to be cage-free by the end of calendar year 2026. Cracker Barrel gives purchasing preference to suppliers who have gestation stall free pork available.

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