Eggs in your what? How was your toast. Huh?
Eggs in a Basket, it's what's for Breakfast here on the farm! At least that's the way we say it here in our home! I've heard just a FEW other names, lol....like....."Toad in a hole", "Popeye", "Kibbee Egg", "Hen in a nest", "Moon Egg", "Cowboy Egg", "One eyed Jack", "Eggs in a Hole", and of course "Eggs and Toast." No matter where you are from, or what you call it, this is a delicious meal! Today it is breakfast, but next week it might be supper! This is a favorite of my family, but especially with my kids! Even my "adult" child will take time to grab bite when I fry this up in the 'ol cast iron pan!
To make things easy, I grab all of my ingredients and supplies before getting started! It's not much, but sure does help once you start the whole process! And when you're feeding a hungry crew that is crunched for time....it does become a bit of an assembly line. Having things ready will keep you from pulling out your hair!
Ingredients: eggs, bread, and butter. Tools: cutting board, butter knife, biscuit or cookie cutter (a glass works fine too), and you're favorite frying pan. I have become quite accustomed to my cast iron skillet, and use it for almost everything!
Any kind of bread will do, texas toast, rye, homade rolls even! We choose store bought white sandwich bread as it is easy to come by and usually on hand. I do try and make my own bread, but for this recipe, we choose the "basic sandwich" type of sliced bread! Grab your butter bell and start slathering on the softened butter! If you don't use a butter tray of sorts, you can always heat the butter, but as you can see, the consistency of the butter changes, and it doesn't smear on as nice, and fries up in the pan differently.
Butter bell you say.... If you're not familiar with what that is, it's a great storage container for your butter. Even better when you make your own! You fill the basin with cool fresh water daily, and in the "bell" you add your soft, fresh butter. This will keep your "real" butter softened and fresh! Just make sure to change that water! I've been using mine for over a year now, and love it! Real butter, soft when I need it! Because we all need a little butter here and there!
*If you don't have a cookie or biscuit cutter, you can use a glass, but I find it easier to spread the butter after, as the bread doesn't release as well from a glass.* Take your cutter and put your "hole" in your bread. Set the centers aside for later, trust me you'll want them!
Make sure that you've preheated your frying pan! When using cast iron, you want to warm your pan before adding any oils or foods. This helps it to be more like the non-stick pans you might be used to! Food will stick to your cast iron if you haven't properly seasoned it, or if you try and turn the food before it is ready.
Take your outer edges of the bread and ad them to your pan. This is how you will "toast" them! We like our eggs a little runny - "over easy", so I don't add the eggs for a little bit. If you like a hard egg, be sure to add your cracked eggs right away. Just fry them like you normally would!
Because we have farm fresh eggs, I always crack mine into a separate bowl first. I only do this because sometimes we have broody hens, or a lazy son who forgets to gather! It's actually a good habit to crack your eggs separately even if they come from the store!
When you're ready, flip them over and "toast" the other side! After that you "toast" your middles! The "middles" become the lid to your basket. I have one child who will trade about anything for extra "lids"! The "real" butter will give your bread a delightfully delicious buttery crusty goodness! Of course if you choose to use a spread, margarine, or such, the outcome will still be tasty, we're just SLIGHTLY partial to butter for this recipe!
And there you have it folks! "Eggs in a Basket"--The Inquisitive Farmwife style! Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family does, it's been served for many generations! Tell me, do you like this dish? Have you made it before? What does your family call it? I want to hear from YOU! Stay in touch, we've got so many adventures to go on, but until then.....I'm off to eat my breakfast before it gets cold! Can't wait to hear from you all!
~~~Some of the items I use here at my farm have been added to the sidebars with an Amazon Affiliate link. At no cost to you, I can receive a small kickback if you choose to purchase items after clicking on the provided links.~~~
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