What was it that Julia Child said about chicken – you could eat it every day for a year without ever eating the same dish? Well that’s exactly how I feel about eggs. I love how many different variations there are on even just the classic combo of eggs and toast: soft-boiled eggs with toast soldiers; eggs Benedict; the classic American diner meal of eggs any way you like, toast, hash browns, and breakfeast meat; and any number of egg sandwiches, to name a few.
I made eggs in the basket, but with a slightly different twist: baked, not fried. A popular version of this dish consists of an egg cooked inside a hole that’s cut out of the middle of a piece of bread; but even this, which is so similar to my version, yields a completely different result: a fried egg, while mine is baked. (How is that for versatility?!)
This recipe is a real winner with kids in particular since the eggs come in cute little packages. But they’re just as easy to dress up for a lovely brunch item, by serving them in ramekins with fresh herbs and hollandaise for topping.
(Yield: 1 serving)
2 pieces of bread
2 eggs
Butter
Salt and pepper
Minced fresh chives, or any other green herb you like (optional, for garnish)
A muffin tray or 2 individual ramekins
Preheat oven to 375F; generously butter two muffin wells or two individual ramekins. Trim the bread to fit inside the muffin wells or ramekins. Place a piece of bread into each well, then gently crack an egg into each piece of bread. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on top of each egg and bake until the egg reaches your desired consistency (about 14-18 minutes gives set whites with runny yolks; increase time from there if you like a more well done yolk). To serve, if you used a muffin tray, let the egg baskets rest about 5 minutes in the tray, then run a sharp paring knife around the outside and use a fork to gently remove (if you used ramekins, you can serve them in the ramekins.) If desired, sprinkle minced fresh chives on top before serving. You can also serve with hollandaise if you like.
Mine aren’t as pretty as yours but they were delicious! My 3 year old asks me for “egg baskets” all of the time now!
Great idea. So easy and versatile! Thanks :)
Do you think these could be made the night before and kept in the fridge?? These look delicious but I need a breakfast on the go.
AlliLo, I haven’t made these ahead of time and stored them in the fridge, so I don’t know for sure; my only concern is that the runny yolk wouldn’t be as good after being refrigerated. If you decide you want to give it a try, it might be better to cook them a little longer so the yolk isn’t runny. Let me know if you give it a try!
I think I’ll try these and use crescent rolls for the basket! and maybe a little chopped ham or crumbled bacon. Yum!!!
I remember my grandma would make something like this with bits of bacon and cheese on the bottom. They were great and easy if you had a large family cause they can be cooked all at one time.
I’ve copied and pasted this one – they sound wonderful and I love the presentation.
I often make the fried “eggs-in-the-hole” but your baked version looks prettier–and is much healthier. Love it!
I could easily eat eggs every day, especially when my hens are in gear! Those eggs in baskets are a perfect way to prepare them. :)
Well said Faith…., I love eggs & find they’re pretty much my go to meal when I want to whip up something different.
I absolutely love this idea Faith! I will have to make these for breakfast soon.
you’d think that by now i’d stop being surprised when i come across a new way to prepare and serve eggs, but i’m not. put a runny egg yolk on anything and the deliciousness factor gets raised exponentially. :)
Looks awesome
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