The Best Way To Make An Egg-In-A-Hole Breakfast Is With Your Sheet Pan

With the countless ways there are to cook an egg, most of us need some variety in our morning fare besides another plate of scrambled eggs. Next to making a cheesy omelet or enjoying a few hardboiled eggs with a cup of fresh fruit, if you have some bread on hand, why not get whimsy and crack that perfect protein directly into your next piece of toast?

Egg-in-a-hole (or, historically ,"egg-with-a-hat") has been a veritable breakfast choice since the end of the 19th century. Through the decades, this dish has taken many creative forms, with that elusive egg being cracked into ham, pizza, pound cake, and even mushrooms. But the most standard way to enjoy this one-of-a-kind meal is within a perfectly buttered piece of toast. However, due to the textural differences between a raw egg and a chewy piece of bread, finding the best method for cooking can be a challenge.

If you've been making your egg-in-a-hole in a standard skillet, you might want to consider utilizing a sheet pan instead. Unlike your stove, where food is cooked from the base of a pan or skillet, your oven, when properly set, is able to maintain a high temperature throughout its interior. When this all-in-one meal is cooked for the right amount of time, consistent heat from all sides results in perfectly toasted bread and a warm, sunny-side-up egg.

If you enjoy making egg-in-a-hole but are often disappointed with the way your precious egg turns out, it's time to let your oven do most of the work. When making an egg-in-a-hole over your stove, there is often a 1 to 2-minute time frame where your egg goes from perfectly runny to firm amidst your desperate attempt to toast the included bread. Luckily, with the oven method, you don't have to worry about babysitting your breakfast to ensure an adequately cooked dish.

All you need to do is coat a sheet pan in cooking spray or a fine layer of cooking oil, lay your pieces of cut-out bread directly on the pan, and crack in your eggs. From here, simply bake your egg-centered bread slices in a 400-degree oven for up to 10 minutes. The best part about the sheet pan method is you don't have to flip your bread halfway through the cooking process. Trust your oven to do most of the work. 

If you want your eggs on the runnier side, start checking your eggs for doneness around the 6 to 7-minute mark. Not only is making eggs-in-a-hole almost entirely hands-free but this method also gives you the luxury of making multiple mini-meals at once and requires very little cleanup.

Unlike basic baked eggs prepared in ramekins, eggs-in-a-hole are a convenient breakfast you can prepare directly on a sheet pan before baking in the oven. There are many notable benefits of cooking your egg-centered bread slices using this method. For one thing, buttering bread before baking is entirely up to you. Thanks to your hot oven, your bread will become nicely toasted on all sides, with or without that rich golden spread.

However you decide to dress up your next batch of eggs-in-a-hole, the process is fairly simple. Because one sheet pan can hold multiple pieces of bread, you can easily make breakfast for your entire family in a small handful of steps. Feel free to add a sprinkling of your favorite cheese and some chopped cooked bacon before baking.

Even though you'll only have one pan to clean after breakfast, you can streamline the process even further by lining your pan with parchment paper as opposed to cooking spray. The next time you have a hankering for a classic piece of bread with an egg baked right in the center, try the sheet pan method. Not only will you be happy to spend less time cleaning post-breakfast, but you'll also be rewarded with an evenly crisp piece of toast and a soft and runny egg to warm your belly.