You know how to make toast. In a toaster, in the toaster oven, something like that. You might butter it before or after toasting. But the ideal toast resembles a giant crouton: golden outsides with a centre that still gives.
So, if you make your toast how you make your croutons, good things happen: By sizzling the toast in warm olive oil, the outside gets crispy-crackly while the middle softens and warms. Whereas butter risks burning at high heat, olive oil can stand it, and your (fried!) toast is better for it.
The same goes for eggs: Frying eggs in butter is your low-and-slow weekend route. Because butter will burn at a high temperature, you'll coddle your egg over a lower temperature and end up with a soft, tender egg. In a medium-high pan of hot olive oil, an egg's cook time is so fast that the white cooks without the yolk having a chance to cook through. It stays warm and runny, which is ideal for mopping up with your toast-size crouton.
This spiced egg in a hole is delicious multitasking: As the spices crack open in the warm olive oil, the first side of your bread (minus a hole in the middle) begins to crisp. When the bread starts to sizzle, pour an egg into the bread's missing middle.
The bread for this egg in a hole is crispy-crackly in ways a toaster cannot achieve; that's because it's fried in olive oil. You could stop there and be thrilled about breakfast (or dinner), but that olive oil can also carry flavour. Here, your bread soaks up warming turmeric, coriander and cayenne, which spice the dish through and through - no need for hot sauce or tomato sauce.
Spiced Bread Egg in a Hole
(Serves 1)
Ingredients
1 large egg
5cm-thick slice bread, sourdough or rustic
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
Pinch of ground cayenne pepper
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Method
Crack the egg into a small bowl or container with a spout. Using a glass or measuring cup, cut out a circle in the middle of the bread, being sure to leave at least a 1cm of bread on all sides.
In a medium non-stick pan, use a wooden spoon to stir together the oil, turmeric, coriander, cayenne and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Add the bread and its middle and heat the skillet over medium heat. When the bread starts to sizzle, gently pour the egg into the hole. Cook until the bottom of the bread is crispy, about 2 minutes.
Using a spatula, gently flip the bread and continue cooking until the egg white is cooked through but the yolk is still runny, another 2 minutes. Serve.