While perfect for an easy, healthy way to start an ordinary day, these baked eggs are also wonderful for breakfast and brunch get-togethers. Most of the prep work can be done ahead of time!




A few weeks ago, I spent a several days with my sister, Annie in Washington D.C. It was a wonderful time, but there’s something I’m a little embarrassed to admit… I didn’t visit many of the traditional D.C. sights. Annie and I enjoyed an amazing tour of the beautiful National Cathedral, but other than that, we spent most of our time talking, walking and cooking! Annie and I are two peas in a pod when it comes to enjoying time in the kitchen and sharing new recipe discoveries is one of our favorite things to do. Scott always says it’s a bit dangerous when we visit together as we “egg each other on”. This time it was true – literally!

The first morning of my visit, Annie served some wonderful baked eggs. She said her daughter, Katherine had served them for breakfast during a recent visit. The recipe was super simple, but so delicious; just eggs baked in muffin tins till perfectly done, with firm whites and runny yolks. Coarse black pepper, flaky sea salt and a sprinkle of finely chopped fresh herbs finished them off perfectly. We enjoyed the pretty eggs with whole grain toast, chicken sausage and fresh fruit. A wonderful, healthy way to start the day – I loved it so much I requested the exact same breakfast the following morning!

Guess what Scott had for his morning meal the first day I was back home? Even though my plane arrived close to midnight, I was up the next morning, trying out the new breakfast recipe on him. The following day, I had some fun testing a little different approach. I picked up a large bag of whole grain rolls and began experimenting with scooping out the centers and baking the eggs right in the rolls. It took a few tries to get the technique down pat, but we love the results. They’re perfect for an easy, everyday breakfast, but they would also be great for a spring brunch, as most of the prep work can be done ahead of time.




Although these eggs are super easy to make, I thought it might be helpful to show you a few pics of the technique, since it’s more a technique than a recipe. Scott was kind enough to grab his camera, so you could see exactly how the process works. Feel free to use this same method with one egg, for just yourself – or a hundred and one, for the whole neighborhood!

You’ll need some round, crusty dinner rolls. The size is up to you. The larger the rolls, the more egg they’ll hold. I used medium-size whole grain rolls that I found at Sam’s Club. For these rolls, small eggs fit perfectly. If you use larger rolls, you could use medium or even large eggs. Try one out before you make a whole batch and see what works best.




Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line a sheet pan with foil or parchment paper for easy clean up. Slice the top off of each roll (about a quarter of the roll) and set the tops aside.

With a small, sharp knife, cut around the edge of the roll, leaving a 1/4-inch rim. Extend your knife almost to the bottom of the roll, but don’t cut through the bottom. Once you’ve cut all the way around, use your knife to gently “wedge” out the center. If it doesn’t all come out, use your fingers to pull out the rest. You can also compress the inner walls of the rolls with your finger a bit to make the opening a bit larger, to accommodate your eggs. This will depend on the size of your rolls and eggs. Test an egg with one of the rolls to see what works best.

If you’re like me, you might get a little over zealous when cutting out the centers. Check each roll when you finish by holding it up to the light. (See that little hole in the first image above?) If you notice a small hole, take a small piece of bread (from one of the leftover cutout centers), place it over the hole and push it down with your finger to form a little “plug” for the hole.

Brush the rims and outsides of each roll with melted butter (about 1 teaspoon per roll) and place on prepared pan. The butter will make the rolls super crisp and delicious after baking. (If you’re watching your calories, this only adds 34 calories per serving, but adds tons of flavor).  If prepping ahead, place all rolls on a baking sheet at this point and cover with plastic wrap or foil till just before baking time

Break an egg into a small bowl (check for any tiny bits of shell) and pour it into the “bread basket”. Repeat for all the rolls and eggs.




Add 1/2-1 teaspoon of cream to each egg and a sprinkle of kosher salt and black pepper. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until egg is set. Remove from oven and sprinkle with your choice of fresh herbs. Serve and enjoy!

One last thing, go ahead and brush the reserved tops with a little butter too. During the last 5 minutes of baking, pop them in the oven and serve these fun little “toasts” on a pretty plate with a jar of jam.

Add a bowl of fresh fruit for a fabulous breakfast or brunch!





PREPARATION


Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line a sheet pan with foil or parchment paper for easy clean up. Slice the top off of each roll (about a quarter of the roll) and set the tops aside.

With a small, sharp knife, cut around the edge of the roll, leaving a 1/4-inch rim. Extend your knife almost to the bottom of the roll but don't cut through the bottom. Once you've cut all the way around, use your knife to gently "wedge" out the center**. If it doesn't all come out, use your fingers to pull out the rest. You can also compress the inner walls of the rolls with your finger a bit to make the opening a bit larger, to accommodate your eggs. This will depend on the size of your rolls and eggs. Test an egg with one of the rolls to see what works best.

Check each roll when you finish by holding it up to the light. If you notice a small hole, take a small piece of bread (from one of the cutout centers), place it over the hole and push it down with your finger to form a little "plug" for the hole. (See pictures in the post for this.)

Brush the rims and outsides of each roll with melted butter (about 1 teaspoon per roll) and place on prepared pan. The butter will make the rolls super crisp and delicious after baking. (If you're watching your calories, this only adds 34 calories per serving but adds tons of flavor).  If prepping ahead, place all rolls on a baking sheet at this point and cover with plastic wrap or foil till just before baking time.

Break an egg into a small bowl (check for any tiny bits of shell) and carefully pour it into the "bread basket". Repeat for all the rolls and eggs.****. Bake for 18-22 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle with your choice of fresh herbs (I used dill and thyme). Serve and enjoy!
The last 5 minutes of baking, pop the tops in the oven and serve these fun little "toasts" on a pretty plate with a jar of jam. All you need is fresh fruit for a fabulous breakfast or brunch!

Recipe Notes

*The size of your rolls will determine what size eggs you should use. If your rolls are fairly large, medium or large eggs will work well. If the rolls are small dinner size rolls, you may need to use small eggs. I recommend trying one roll out with an egg before finishing prep. 

**Save the centers to make bread crumbs for future use. Just allow them to dry out, then whirl them around in a blender. 

***If you find your eggs are too large for your "baskets", and you don't have the option of smaller eggs, you can pour off a little of the white before adding it to the bread basket. I found the best way to do this, is to break the egg into a measuring cup with a spout. If the white is very thick and you can't pour off just a little, begin to pour, then cut a bit of the white off with a kitchen shears. 

**** Baking time with depend on the size of eggs as well as the size of the rolls. Use this recipe as a template. In other words, feel free to change up the size of the rolls and the eggs. Use large rolls and eggs. Make as few or as many as you want. Use your favorite fresh herbs or dried herbs. Italian seasoning is great.





INGREDIENTS

6 whole grain dinner rolls
6  eggs* see note regarding size
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons heavy cream
kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper
finely chopped fresh herbs for garnish



NUTRITION INFORMATION

Serving Size: 1 (81 g)     Servings Per Recipe: 8

Calories 181.2    Calories from Fat 82 45%     Total Fat 9.1 g 14%    Saturated Fat 3.3 g 16%    Cholesterol 219.1 mg 73%    Sodium 255.5 mg 10%    Total Carbohydrate 14.7 g 4%    Dietary Fiber 0.8 g 3%    Sugars 1.1 g 4%    Protein 9.7 g 19%



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