Eggy Bread

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide, shallow dish for beating eggs
• •Non-stick or well-seasoned frying pan, the widest you have
• •Spatula or fish slice

Instructions

1. 1

   Beat the eggs

   Crack the eggs into a shallow dish, something wide enough to lay a slice of bread flat in. Add a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Beat with a fork until the yolks and whites are completely combined, no streaks of white left. That's it. No milk, no cream, no sugar. This isn't a custard. It's eggs.

   A pie dish or a wide, shallow bowl works best here. You need the bread to lie flat so both sides soak evenly.
2. 2

   Soak the bread

   Lay a slice of bread in the beaten egg and press it down gently with your fingers. Leave it for fifteen seconds or so, then flip it. You want the bread to absorb the egg but not fall apart. Slightly stale bread is better for this reason: it holds its shape and soaks up more. Fresh bread goes soft too quickly and tears when you lift it. Do one or two slices at a time, depending on the size of your dish.

3. 3

   Fry in butter

   Put a good knob of butter in a wide frying pan over a medium heat. Wait. The butter will melt, then foam, then the foam will start to calm down. That's when the bread goes in. Not before. If the butter is too cool, the bread sits there absorbing fat. If the pan is too hot, the outside scorches while the egg inside stays raw. You want a steady, confident sizzle the moment the bread hits the pan. Fry for two minutes or so on each side, pressing down lightly with a spatula. The edges should go golden and crisp, the centre soft and just set.

   Add a little more butter between batches. The pan dries out faster than you think, and eggy bread fried in not quite enough butter is a sad thing.
4. 4

   Serve immediately

   Straight from the pan to a warm plate. Don't let it sit. Eggy bread waits for nobody. It's best eaten standing up in the kitchen, or carried to the table with a sense of purpose. A grind of pepper, a pinch of flaky salt if you like, and whatever you feel like alongside. Ketchup, if that's your inclination. A few grilled tomatoes if the morning is slow. Brown sauce if you're that sort of person. Your kitchen, your rules.

Chef Tips

• •Day-old bread is what you want. Fresh bread soaks up the egg too fast and falls apart in the pan. A slice that's gone slightly firm holds its shape and develops better edges. This is a recipe built for leftovers, for the end of the loaf, for bread that might otherwise be wasted.
• •Don't add milk to the eggs. I know some people do. But milk dilutes the egg and makes the coating thinner, so it doesn't cling to the bread properly. You end up with something pale and damp instead of golden and crisp. Three eggs, a fork, a pinch of salt. That's all.
• •The butter does most of the work. Use real butter, unsalted, and be generous. When the foam calms and the butter smells warm and sweet, the pan is ready. If you can hear a sizzle the moment the bread goes in, you've got it right. Trust your ears.
• •Eat it the moment it's done. Eggy bread loses its nerve quickly. The crisp edges soften, the centre goes heavy. Make it, plate it, eat it. Don't wait for anyone who isn't already sitting at the table.

Advance Preparation

• •There is no advance preparation. Eggy bread is a right-now meal. Beat the eggs when the pan is heating. Soak the bread while the butter melts. Everything happens in the same five minutes.
• •The only thing you can do ahead is leave the bread out overnight so it stales properly. Which is really just forgetting to put the bread away, dressed up as forethought.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 140g)