Egg in a Hole Brioche Toast with Bacon Onion Jam

“Egg in a hole”, “egg in a basket”, “toad in a hole”, “cowboy eggs” – call it what you will, this classic combination makes for a simple breakfast that is even more delicious when topped with a bacon onion jam.

Why does cracking an egg into the center of a piece of toast make it seem fancier than the two separate entities? I’m not sure but it definitely does – especially when topped with rich and caramelized bacon onion jam. I usually make the jam ahead of time so that I can easily throw together this breakfast during the week.

Egg in a Hole Brioche Toast with Bacon Onion Jam

Key Ingredients in This Recipe

• Caramelized onions – While caramelizing onions takes a bit of patience, don’t try to rush the process by turning up the heat. The goal is to draw out the sugars in the onions and caramelize them – you have to go low and slow. You end up with mellow sweet onion flavor. In this recipe I use yellow onion. The caramelized onion is enhanced with the flavor of the salty bacon as the onions are cooked in the rich fat.
• Brioche – Brioche is an eggy, rich bread. They’re a bit sweeter than other breads and are great for pairing with the salty bacon onion jam and savory egg yolk.

How to Make Egg in a Hole

For the bacon onion jam:

1. Sauté the bacon. Add bacon to a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté the bacon until the fat has rendered and the bacon is crispy, about 10 to 12 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon to a paper towel to drain. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pan and return the pan to medium heat.
2. Caramelize the onions. Add the onions and sauté until the onions are tender and have the consistency of grilled onions, about 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Make the jam. Add the bacon, granulated sugar, balsamic vinegar and salt to the pan and stir to combine. Let the mixture cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture achieves a jam consistency, about 1 hour. If the mixture gets too dry add water a tablespoon at a time.
4. Store the bacon onion jam. Remove the mixture from the heat and allow to cool slightly, then store refrigerated in a covered container for up to a week.

For the egg in hole toast:

1. Cut a hole in the toast. Use a 2-inch cookie cutter to cut a hole in the middle of each slice of toast. Set the cut out aside.
2. Fry the bread in butter. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, add 2 tablespoon of the butter and allow to melt, moving the pan so it’s evenly coated with butter. Add two of the slices of toast to the pan and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Flip the toast over and crack and egg into the cut out hole of each slice of toast. Season the eggs with salt and pepper.
3. Add the egg to the hole and cook. Cover and continue to cook until the egg is cooked and mostly firm, about 2 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside, covered. Add the remaining butter to the skillet and repeat with the remaining toast and eggs. Add the cut out circles to the pan and toast on each side.
4. Serve. Serve the toast topped with 2 tablespoons of the bacon-onion jam mixture.

Other Recipes to Try

If you enjoy this recipe, I recommend checking out some of these:

• Eggs en Cocotte
• French Omelette with Prosciutto, Cheese, Avocado and Arugula
• Slow Scrambled Eggs

Egg in a Hole Brioche Toast with Bacon Onion Jam

Print Pin

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Serves 2

US Customary – Metric

Ingredients:

For the bacon onion jam:

• ½ pound bacon, thinly sliced
• 2 medium yellow onions, diced
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

For the egg in hole toast:

• 4 slices brioche toast, cut ½” thick
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 4 eggs
• Kosher salt, as needed
• Freshly ground black pepper, as needed

Instructions:

For the bacon onion jam:

• Add bacon to a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté the bacon until the fat has rendered and the bacon is crispy, about 10 to 12 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon to a paper towel to drain. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pan and return the pan to medium heat.
• Add the onions and sauté until the onions are tender and have the consistency of grilled onions, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add the bacon, granulated sugar, balsamic vinegar and salt to the pan and stir to combine. Let the mixture cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture achieves a jam consistency, about 1 hour. If the mixture gets too dry add water a tablespoon at a time.
• Remove the mixture from the heat and allow to cool slightly, then store refrigerated in a covered container for up to a week.

For the egg in hole toast:

• Use a 2-inch cookie cutter to cut a hole in the middle of each slice of toast. Set the cut out aside.
• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, add 2 tablespoon of the butter and allow to melt, moving the pan so it’s evenly coated with butter. Add two of the slices of toast to the pan and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Flip the toast over and crack and egg into the cut out hole of each slice of toast. Season the eggs with salt and pepper.
• Cover and continue to cook until the egg is cooked and mostly firm, about 2 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside, covered. Add the remaining butter to the skillet and repeat with the remaining toast and eggs. Add the cut out circles to the pan and toast on each side.
• Serve the toast topped with 2 tablespoons of the bacon-onion jam mixture.

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