Egg in a hole

“This is a great favourite with all the King family, especially my eldest son, Alex. It’s really an extra-special version of eggy bread, with a bit of spice and some grated cheese thrown in. What’s not to love?”

Toasted bread slices with melted cheese and herbs sit invitingly on a plate, reminiscent of family favourites. One slice is cut open, revealing egg yolk oozing perfectly, accompanied by a fork and knife—a dish the Hairy Bikers love.

Egg in a hole | 📸 Andrew Hayes-Watkins

Info

Serves
Serves 4
Prep time
less than 10 minutes
Cooking time
around 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 slices of sourdough (or any robust bread)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 15g butter
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley pinch of cayenne
  • a grating of nutmeg
  • 75g Gruyère or any hard cheese, grated
  • salt and black pepper

Method

  1. Take the slices of sourdough and, using a 6–7cm cookie cutter, cut rounds in the middle of each of them. Discard the round centres (they’re good for croutons or breadcrumbs or cut them in half and use as half- moon soldiers for boiled eggs).

  2. Heat a large frying pan and add a tablespoon of the olive oil. When it’s hot, add the slices of bread and fry them on one side only.

  3. Remove the bread, then add the remaining olive oil and the butter. When the butter has foamed up, put the bread back in the pan, fried side up. Note – depending on the size of the slices of bread and your pan, you may have to cook these in a couple of batches.

  4. Break the eggs one at a time into a ramekin and carefully drop one into each hole. Season with a little salt and pepper. Sprinkle with half the parsley and some cayenne and nutmeg, then add the cheese.

  5. Put a cloche over the pan (a large saucepan lid works well) and cook over a low-medium heat for 2–3 minutes until the egg whites are set and the cheese has melted. At this point you can flip the slices over for 30 seconds to brown the cheese a little and give you a few crisp bits around the edges, or you can serve as is. Either way, garnish with the remaining parsley and a little more nutmeg and cayenne if you like.