Wednesday Real Food Recipe – Toad in a Hole, with an Egg-Free Version

Toad in a Hole www.thatswhatieat.com

I found out as I was writing this post that although I have been calling this dish “Toad in a Hole” for years and years, a true Toad in a Hole is actually a sausage dish. Huh, interesting! Does that mean I’ll be changing my ways any time soon? Nope! Not a chance. Part of the fun of this dish is all the different names it has. It is also known as Egg in the Basket, Frog in a Hole, Sunshine Toast, Moonstuck Eggs, and so, so many, many more names.

The other wonderful part about this recipe is it’s simplicity. It is delicious, easy, and fast! Gotta love that!

“But wait a minute, Emily,” I can hear you say. “Haven’t you mentioned time and time again that you have a daughter with an egg Toad in a Hole 3allergy? How in the world do you make an Egg in the Basket and have it be egg-free?” And that, dear friend, is part of why I wanted to share this recipe with you today.

Here are the basics: Heat a pan over medium heat and melt a little bit of butter (this is my most favorite frying pan ever). Cut a hole in a piece of high quality whole wheat bread (I use a little round Tupperware thing I had on hand. I’ve heard shot glasses are the perfect size and work well too.) Put the bread in the pan, and make sure to include the “hole” too. Crack an egg into the hole and sprinkle with a little salt and fresh cracked pepper.

Toad in a hole 4Allow to cook for a few minutes, until the white of the egg is nearly set. Then flip over and cook the other side. For myself, I only let it cook on the second side for a couple of minutes because I like my yolk nice and runny. When I’m making them for kids I cook it longer until the yolk is cooked through. You can simply cook it until it is as done as you like.

I love Toad in a Hole, and make it for myself for breakfast quite often. One morning my non-egg allergic daughter requested one for her breakfast, so I said yes. My egg-allergic daughter looked up with sad eyes and said, very quietly, that she wanted one, too.

The hardest part about having a child with food allergies is that look in their eyes. It’s the look that says, I want to be just like everyone else. Why do I have to be left out? My sweet girl is usually really good about eating something different than everyone else without complain, but every once in awhile she pulls out the look, and oh it tugs at my heart! I decided that dayToad in a Hole 1 to find a solution.

Thankfully she isn’t allergic to dairy, so I came up with the idea that after flipping her bread, I would let it crisp up for just a minute, and then I put a piece of cheese in the hole. I left it long enough to start melting just a touch, and then served it up. My girl was so excited! Who knew a simple piece of cheese could make someone so happy?

Since that day we have made Toad in a Hole several times for breakfast, with my sweet girl feeling included and the same as her sister and me.

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Toad in a Hole, with an Egg-Free Version
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Serves: 1
Ingredients
  • ½ to 1 tablespoon of butter
  • 1 slice high quality whole grain bread
  • 1 egg (or slice of cheese for egg-free version)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Melt butter in pan.
  2. Cut a hole in the bread using a small glass or a cookie cutter, and add bread to pan.
  3. Crack egg into hole and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  4. Cook egg until white is nearly cooked through, then flip.
  5. Cook on second side until the yolk is your preferred level of doneness.
  6. For egg-free version, cook with an empty hole on the first side. Flip to second side and allow to cook until slightly crispy, then add cheese just long enough to allow to melt slightly.

 

Do you have a Real Food recipe you would like to have featured on my Real Food recipe Wednesday? Please send all submissions to Emily@thatswhatieat.com, I would love to feature you on my site!

This post has been linked to the In and Out of the Kitchen Link Party, check out the other great links here.

7 thoughts on “Wednesday Real Food Recipe – Toad in a Hole, with an Egg-Free Version”

  1. I have family in England and I spend over a year there when I was young. This is what we call Toad in the Hole too! Funny, perhaps it is a regional thing. Thanks for sharing at the In and Out of the Kitchen Link Party!

    1. You’re right, isn’t it a recipe with bread and sausages? This is what I grew up calling Toad in a Hole, though, so it’s what it will always be to me. No matter what you call it, it’s yummy!

  2. Who knew?! I was trying to find a breakfast to stay within my calorie budget, and healthy. It was really good and satisfying

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