Toad in a Hole

Toad in a Hole is an easy breakfast or snack option that’s also known as “egg in the basket”, “spit in the eye” and the much more straightforward “egg in a hole”.

I really don’t know if any of those names sound too appetising, but Toad in a Hole is the name I’ve always attached to this quick, easy and delicious egg dish – and I’ve loved it since my earliest memories.

The US vs UK version of Toad in a Hole

If you grew up with the UK version of “Toad in a Hole” – which is a dish consisting of sausages cooked into a batter – you may be screaming at the screen right now, thinking I’ve mixed things up.

But this is what I grew up knowing as Toad in a Hole and my mum can remember her mum cooking it for her, and calling it Toad in a Hole back in the 1950s and 60s.

A little wander around the web tells me that somehow our family adopted the US version of the Toad in a Hole recipe rather than the UK version.

I’m not sure how my family ended up with the American Toad in the Hole given we all grew up in Australia with mostly UK heritage.

But here we are!

And I’m not complaining as I can’t imagine it any other way and it’s such a great recipe for brekky or an easy dinner.

How to make Toad in a Hole

You’ll need a cookie cutter and a frying pan with a lid to make this recipe.

Any shape cookie cutter will be fine, a circle, heart, flower – just so long as it cuts out only about 1/3 of the total surface of the bread, and creates a hole large enough to contain the egg.

Ingredients for Toad in the Hole

You’ll also need:

• 2 pieces sliced white bread
• 2 eggs
• 20 grams butter.

This will feed either one or two people, depending on appetites.

You might also like to serve this dish with strawberries or another fruit.

You could also sprinkle some cinnamon on the cut out pieces or spread with jam or nutella.

Making Toad in a Hole

Leave the butter at room temperature to soften before spreading on one side of both pieces of bread. Spread butter all the way to the edges.

Using a cookie cutter, cut a hole in the centre of each slice of bread.

Place slices and cut out pieces into frypan (butter side down) and cook on medium heat until browned on one side.

Flip over the slices and cut outs and turn the heat down to low.

Crack each egg and gently pour one into the hole in each piece of the sliced bread.

Take care to have heat set at low and pour ever-so-gently so you don’t break the yolk.

Place the lid on the frying pan and cook for about 5 minutes or until the whites of the egg are cooked through.

You can flip the slices over to cook the egg, rather than using the lid, but this often makes the end result rather messy-looking. So I like to use the lid and cook the eggs sunny side up.

Serve immediately once cooked.

Browse more old-fashioned breakfast recipes here.