Sunshine Toasts
07 January 2026
Early Italian immigrants brought a breakfast dish to the United States called uova fritte nel pane, meaning ‘fried eggs in bread’. The recipe was popularized when "egg with a hat" was published in Fannie Farmer's Boston Cooking School Cookbook in the 1890’s. Egg with a hat has many nicknames that vary by country, culture, region, or family tradition, including Egg in the Basket, Toad in the Hole, One-Eyed Jack, Pirate’s Eye, Bird’s Nest, Bull’s Eye Egg, and of course one of the most fun and optimistic - Sunshine Toast.
Total Time -
About 10 minutes
INGREDIENTS -
Per serving -
2 large eggs
2 slices of Rye bread
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoons olive oil
Coarse salt and pepper to taste
Italian parsley
Maldon salt flakes for garnish
TOOLS -
8 or 10 inch cast iron skillet with lid
Medium offset spatula
Pepper mill
PREPERATION -
Place skillet at about 7 of 10 on a gas stovetop, with 2 tablespoons of butter, and olive oil
Place drinking glass upside down in the middle of the bread
Press and twist glass to cut a ring into each slice
Remove slice, but keep as garnish or ‘chef’s snack’
When butter begins to bubble and crack, add both slices of bread
Shake pan to evenly coat underside of bread with butter, continue to shake until toasts move freely
Add additional tablespoon of butter as you flip the toasts
Crack an egg into each toast hole
Cover with a lid - the heat and steam will evenly cook the eggs
Check cooking progress and slide to a plate when it’s prepared to your taste, or flip if you prefer an over-well, or over-hard egg
Toss bread holes into pan and allow to toast
Garish with Italian Parsley, Maldon salt, and toasted toast holes
NOTES -
Using the toast holes as a ‘lid’ makes it an ‘egg with a hat’
Any kind of bread will do, or leftover waffles, or banana bread
Oval toasts mimic a horizon line, making them Sunshine Toasts
The mixture of butter and olive oil ups the burning point, allowing for a bigger crisp, and more flavor
