When I look back at the long history of The Amish Cook column, many recipes stand out, some simple, some nostalgic, some delicious, and a few that combine them all. Egg-in-Nest is one of those all-in-one recipes. Egg-in-nest was one of the first recipes included in The Amish Cook column. The recipe is so, so simple, but you can dress it up if you want.
The simple version involves just a slice of bread, a heavily buttered skillet, and an egg. Take a glass and cut a circle out of the bread, stick the bread into the warm buttered pan, crack the egg into the hole in the bread, fry the egg for a couple of minutes on each side and, presto (or pesto, hmmm, yes, that would taste great on this dish)
You have a decadently buttered piece of bread with an egg in the middle. Now, you can dress it up by putting some herbs in the butter, some diced ham in the eggs, or some tomato, etc...so, start with the simple version and go from there.
My girls love making - and eating - egg in nest, it has become a breakfast favorite in the Williams household!
📋 Step-By-Step Egg In Nest
Well, if you are going to make it the "Amish way", start out with farm fresh eggs, if you can.
You'll want to make a hole in your bread (the egg nest!). You can do that by just using a knife. Or you can use a cookie cutter. Or the mouth of a jelly jar. Doesn't matter what you use, but you want a large whole, something that maybe removes half or more of the "bread" part of the bread (if that even makes sense!)
Then comes the fun part. Well, I think it's fun. Cracking the egg into the hole. For some reason, it is satisfying. You want to do it when the skillet is hot so the egg starts cooking right away and quickly. You'll see why below.
Well, yes, I don't mind how the egg in nest looks, but it is very brown. So I think the key to this is "quick"....put the butter in, get it hot, drop the bread it, crack the egg into the hole. Cook about a minute or two on each side and you're done. My 10-year-old likes the egg running on one side, so that means I cook it for about 1 minute on one side, flip it over and do it in half the time on the other.
This is a really easy recipe, really tasty for breakfast, dinner, or anytime. If someone is looking for a meatless meal, this is a good one. Just make a couple for each person and pair it with some fruit and it's really a nice meal.
Variations
The recipe as shown below is simple, bare-bones and is REALLY good just like that. But you can really build on it and make it as elaborate of an egg in nest as you want. You can add cheese (Cheddar cheese, colby jack, Swiss) to the top of your egg. You can cook some hash browns on the side. You could fry some slices of bacon in the same skillet as the egg in nest or crumble some sausage into the hole also. Add some red bell peppers for color and taste. Mushrooms, spinach, chives, and or onions would be a nice addition.
If you are watching cholesterol you could just put egg whites into the hole. And if you like more of a baked taste, you can prepare this on the stove-top as directed below and then stick bake in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes. But if you just do the stove top method, your cook time is about 2 minutes, tops, on each side in a hot skillet. Prep time is as little or as much as you want to put into it. Very easy.
❓ FAQ Egg-In-Nest Questions
Yes, you can make this using just egg whites. You probably will need to use 2 - 3 eggs per piece of toast so you get enough to fill the hole.
Yes, white, wheat, rye, try whichever kind you like. Our favorite is homemade bread, that is what most Amish would use!
When you cut out the hole in the bread it looks like a little "nest" for the egg.
🍳 More Amish Egg Recipes
Egg Salad Recipe - Delicious classic!
Barn-Raising Breakfast Casserole - So good!
Egg Dutch - Wow!
Eggs La Golden - a delicious meal
🖨️ Full Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 1 slice bread
- butter to taste
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
Instructions
- Butter a skillet and bread.
- Turn heat on medium
- Cut a hole out of the center of the bread
- .Crack an egg into the hole.
- Fry on each side 2 - 3 minutes.
- The "hole" can be fried and buttered or eaten separately with jelly and butter
Dorothy
Just one question—Don’t you put the circle of bread you cut out in the skillet so you can toast it and eat it too? That’s the best part!
Kevin
Yes, Dorothy, we did that, that is tasty! (although my daughter wanted to eat hers plain)
Cathy Stewart
My grown up kids love these egg in a nest when they come from MI. I use Aunt Millie’s Carb Smart wheat bread so it fits in a Keto diet.
Kevin Williams
I love Aunt Millie's Carb Smart bread, that is all I buy - 35 calories a slice, you can't beat that!
Judi Covey
and if you fry the circle that you removed, you can have a little lid for your nest!
Kevin
Good idea!
DEE DEE KLUS
I HAVE TO SAY, IF I SAW THIS COMING TO MY PLACE AT THE TABLE, I'D BRIBE SOMEBODY ELSE TO EAT IT FOR ME...
I CANNOT UNDERSTAND HOW YOU THINK THIS LOOKS APPETIZING? NO OFFENSE, BUT IT DOES NOT.
Kevin
It was really good. I think the browned butter made it less appetizing looking, but it tasted great. I'm not a professional food photographer, but I'm always trying to improve.
Mary
My husband requests this for breakfast occasionally on the weekends he has off of work. He really enjoys it as much as you do. I do toast the circles and put the "lid" on the egg.
Kevin
The lid is my favorite part!
Traci K Stevenson
I am from the south and in Alabama they call it gas house eggs. don't know why and the other I heard is toad in a hole. Never heard the ones you named. lol. but LOVE it.
Natasha V.
I have been making this since I was 5 . Yes 5 . (Strange Mennonite parents , don’t ask lol ), with a step stool to be tall enough to reach the stove top , next to the hot coffee pot . Now I’m older and still make it . For a really decadent breakfast , use a 1/2 a bagel, buttered heavily , with ham , on the bottom , or bacon , before adding the egg . It’s better , and easier than “ eggs Benedict “. I’ve even added lox . Ever soo good . Cheers 🍷💋
Kevin Williams
Oh, gosh, that sounds amazing. I am going to have to try it that way, thanks for the tip!
Natasha V.
My pleasure mate. If you use different flavoured bagels, like the “ everything bagel or the “ onion bagel” , or even the “ egg bagel” your breakfast turns into a sublime event. I found ham goes perfect with the egg bagel . The lox is great with the cracked egg in the hole and an onion bagel . The everything bagel is wonderful with the cracked egg and bacon . As well there is no reason to add xtra salt or pepper . Cheers as always .🍷🥯