It goes by many names – Egg-in-a-hole, Bird-in-the-nest, that dish Olympia Dukakis makes for Cher in Moonstruck, or a follower’s son calls them “good day eggs – because you can’t have a bad day when you’ve had these for breakfast” (this one’s my personal favorite) – but whatever you call it, many of us grew up having this simple yet special breakfast treat of an egg cooked in the center of a slice of bread!
Lately, I’ve been playing around with combining this childhood favorite with my, unapologetically basic, adult favorite: avocado toast! And I think I’ve landed on my favorite version with this Avocado Egg-In-A-Hole recipe!
My preferred bread is definitely sourdough, and I’ve found that spreading a thin layer of butter (which gives it that irresistible flavor) on one side and mayonnaise (which browns up nicely and gives a subtle tang) on the other led to the most delicious results!
If you’ve never made this before, a hole is then cut in the bread, it’s placed in a pan and an egg is dropped into the hole. You then cook until the egg whites firm up, the yolk is soft and runny, and the bread is a crispy, golden brown on both sides! You then slather with a simple avocado mash seasoned with salt, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and, to brighten everything up, lemon juice. Next, I throw on a large juicy tomato (can’t get enough heirlooms) which is drizzled with balsamic vinegar. A sprinkling of chives, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper is the perfect finishing touch!
Slice in and enjoy the crunchy bread, creamy avocado, juicy tomato and try to tell me today’s NOT going to be a good day!!!
Below I’ve made a few notes if you’re interested, but feel free to skip ahead to the recipe at the bottom!
THE WHY
Sourdough: I tried a couple different breads: country loaf from a bakery, white and whole wheat, multigrain, and the winner by a landslide was sourdough. It crisps nicely with a pleasant chewiness and slight tang.
Tomatoes: Salting the tomatoes at the beginning gives them time to release some of their liquid so you don’t have a runny sandwich, and it concentrates the flavor!
Butter/Mayo: I started using mayo rather than butter to crisp my grilled cheese sandwiches and never looked back! I wanted to see if it’d work for egg-in-a-hole. In my first attempt, I slathered three pieces of sourdough: one in butter, one in mayo, and one in olive oil. The olive oil was the first to get the boot as it didn’t crisp up nicely or impart the flavor I was looking for. The butter browned the bread well and as always, was a winner in the flavor department. The mayo added such a nice tang but made the toast greasy. Turns out the perfect combo was butter on one side and mayo on the other: it cuts down on the greasiness of the mayo-only version, but keeps that tang … and butter is delicious.
Avocado mash: My initial thought was to rub garlic cloves on the bread after it came out of the pan, but I realized that was a pain to do with a delicate egg in the middle, so I added garlic powder to mash instead. Salt is again the magic ingredient that turns avocado from dull to flavorful. The red pepper flakes provide a little heat and the lemon brightens the dish, while balancing the fat.
Balsamic vinegar: I tried two versions to dress the tomato: one with a drizzle of balsamic glaze and the other with a few dashes of balsamic vinegar. The glaze was way too sweet for the dish but the vinegar packed a perfectly sweet but acidic hit.
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Avocado Egg-in-a-Hole
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- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2 toasts 1x
Ingredients
- 1 large tomato, preferably heirloom
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper
- 2 slices sourdough bread, 1/2-inch thick
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 large eggs
- 1 medium ripe avocado
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, plus a little extra for finishing
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- Balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon chives, chopped
Instructions
- Cut 1 large tomato into ¼-inch slices, sprinkle both sides of each slice with a pinch of salt and allow to rest while preparing the rest of the dish.
- Spread approximately 1 tablespoon mayonnaise on one side of 2 slices sourdough bread – it should be a very thin layer. Flip bread and spread 1 tablespoon unsalted butter. Using a round cookie cutter or knife, make an approximately 2.5-inch hole in the center of the bread. Remove the bread circle and reserve.
- Place slices of sourdough and the bread circles in a cold, large non-stick pan, mayo-side down. Heat over medium heat until you begin to hear the mayo sizzle, about 2 minutes. Crack 1 large egg into each hole. Lightly sprinkle everything with kosher salt. When the egg has firmed up and the bread turns golden brown, approximately 3 to 3 1/2 minutes (use the bread circle as an easy way to gauge toastiness), carefully flip the bread with a spatula and cook for another 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Flip and remove egg-in-a-hole and bread circle to a plate.
- In a medium bowl, mash 1 medium ripe avocado with a fork until smooth then stir in 1 teaspoon lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, and ¼ teaspoon garlic powder. Spread avocado mash on egg-in-a-hole being careful not to puncture the egg.
- Place one or two slices of tomato on top of the avocado mash, drizzle with balsamic vinegar, and sprinkle with kosher salt, freshly cracked pepper, red pepper flakes, and chives. Serve warm with bread circle to sop up that runny yolk.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
