Cook Your Next Egg-In-A-Hole Toast In The Oven For A Better Breakfast

Egg-in-a-hole toast is a classic that combines two of your favorite breakfast foods into one pan. Unfortunately, the traditional stove-top method isn't as simple as it sounds. Despite your best efforts to adjust temperatures, times, or even the order of assembly, it may be hard to sync the toasting of the bread with the cooking of the egg. If you're tired of scorching your toast while you wait for your egg to set, ditch the stovetop method and cook your next egg-in-a-hole toast in the oven.

The oven is a hands-off method that might take a bit longer than stove-top but will result in perfectly toasted bread and evenly cooked eggs every time. Plus, you can cook multiple egg-in-a-hole toasts on one baking sheet to feed the whole family. The best part about the oven is you don't have to flip the toast because the hot air circulation will toast the top face of the bread, while the hot sheet pan will toast the bottom. This is also the key to cooking the egg evenly.

Simply butter the side of the toast touching the sheet pan, crack an egg in the hole you've stamped out, and slide the baking sheet into the oven for eight to 10 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. The longer you keep the toast in the oven, the firmer your egg yolk will be. If you just want to make one toast, you can use a toaster oven.

You can take advantage of a big oven by roasting or baking veggies, proteins, or any other accompaniments to make a fancy breakfast recipe to start your day. For example, you can par-bake bacon on a separate baking sheet while you assemble your egg-in-a-hole, then place a strip or two over each slice of bread before baking the egg-in-a-hole. You could also take things a step further by making them into breakfast sandwich bread.

Swapping sandwich bread for a thicker and larger slice of crusty bread is an upgrade in and of itself. But it'll also give you more surface area for additional toppings. You could transform eggs-in-a-hole into cheese toast by creating an aromatic herby, garlic, cheese, and butter mixture to spread over the top of a thick-cut slice of sourdough bread before baking. For an easy twist on Georgian khachapuri, use ciabatta rolls or bolillos with the center cut out of them to house a cracked egg, a knob of butter, cracked fresh pepper, and plenty of grated cheese. Whatever you do, don't forget to bake the circular crumb or crust you've carved out of the bread along with each egg-in-a-hole for dipping in or soaking up runny yolk. 

If you're making sheet pan egg-in-a-hole for a crowd, set up a breakfast bar of garnishes for easy customization. You can include avocado and tomato slices, diced green onions and fresh herbs, parmesan cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, lox, cream cheese, sriracha, and any other breakfast condiment that comes to mind.