This dish has many names.

Egg in a basket. Egg in a hole. Egg in a window.

Or, as I was raised calling it, The Egg in Bread.

It’s really just as simple as it sounds: an egg cooked in the middle of a slice of bread. You use only four ingredients (all of which I guarantee you have on hand), it cooks up in about five minutes, and just about any level of cookpert (cook expert) can handle it.

Now, when it comes to breakfast foods, there’s some good stuff out there. Pancakes are awesome (waffles too), French toast is delicious, breakfast bakes and skillets aren’t bad either, and there are all kinds of tantalizing breakfast pastries. However, these can all be pretty complex, mulit-step dishes to make, even if you’re using some kind of boxed mix. The funny thing is, The Egg in Bread (or whatever you chose to call it) holds its own among all of these fancy breakfast veterans. Despite its absurdly simple preparation and its microscopic list of ingredients, The Egg in Bread is completely eggtastic.

There are three things that make such a simple dish so delightful: basic salt and pepper seasoning, bread, and a generous amount of butter. The bread allows for starchy comfort while the salt, pepper, and butter give this the most basic but delicious flavor. There are no complex workings going on here, just the good stuff that always works. That’s what I call sweet and simple.

My mother used to whip these up for me all the time when I was a kid. I’m sure you could say the same. I’ve found they never stop tasting good as you get older and they always hold that same comfort. They’re so quick and easy and satisfying that they make a perfect breakfast. Fry one up and remember the good ol’ days. Or, if you’ve never had one before, give it a go and be pleasantly surprised.

Things to Note:

• I strongly recommend spreading some extra butter on the top while the Egg in Bread’s still nice and hot. The butter will melt and make it extra decadent!
• One of the things you’ll really love about this breakfast is that, when you cut the egg, you’ll get all kinds of gooey goodness to dip the bread in! However, if you’re NOT a fan of runny eggs (I’m not either), just be sure to break the yolk and cook it until it’s completely done. Then, there’s no runny yolk to worry about.

All You Need Is:

• 1 slice of bread, any kind you have on hand (I use the soft, thin slices you buy in a loaf at the grocery store by the bagels & English muffins)
• 1 egg
• kosher salt
• pepper

To Serve It Up:

1. Bring a frying pan to medium heat on the stove. Melt a generous slab of butter in it.
2. Punch a hole in the middle of the bread with your hands. Throw out the piece you punched out. Or, if you’re feeling fancy, use a small cookie cutter to cut out the hole.
3. Once the butter is completely melted, place the bread in the skillet. Immediately crack egg into the hole in the bread.
4. Sprinkle with salt & pepper to taste. Cook until bottom is golden brown. Flip bread and sprinkle with more salt & pepper. Cook other side until equally browned and egg is cooked to your liking.
5. Remove from heat, slice it up and enjoy!

See? How ridiculously fast and simple was that? You can have one of these babies any time. You know you’ll have the necessary ingredients and you know it certainly won’t take long. Plus, you only dirty one pan! You don’t always have to whip up pancakes from scratch to have an awesome breakfast. Sometimes, you can keep it sweet & simple.