The Cracker Barrel Egg in a Basket is a favorite breakfast menu item at the restaurant. Did you know you can make this at home in no time at all?
Country Cooking at Its Best
Who doesn’t love going out for breakfast? One favorite place to eat breakfast is Cracker Barrel. This restaurant chain’s full name is Cracker Barrel Old Country Store that reflects the fact that it’s also an old-fashioned country store with a southern theme.
The first store was opened in Lebanon, Tennessee. From this small beginning, there were 645 Cracker Barrels in forty-four states as of July 2017. Each restaurant/store has a front porch with comfortable wooden rocking chairs, a stone fireplace, and decorative local artifacts.
Cracker Barrel is also known for its sponsorships of country music performers. And, it has received praise for its charitable work, such as its help for victims of Hurricane Katrina and injured war veterans.
Couple Set to Make Cracker Barrel History
As of July 2017, Ray and Wilma Yoder of Goshen, Indiana, were just one store away from visiting all the Cracker Barrels in the country. “I’ve not had a bad experience anytime,” Ray Yoder, aged eighty, told ABC News, “and I’ve always walked away feeling refreshed”. He added, “It’s nice when you’re out there driving that there’s a place that can be so much like home when you’re away from home”.
The Yoders kept a record of their visits by circling each location on a map. They now rely on their children to keep them up-to-date on new store openings posted on Cracker Barrel’s website. You can read their full story here.
Make the Cracker Barrel Egg in a Basket at Home
Egg in a basket is a classic breakfast dish that you may have enjoyed while growing up. My mother made eggs in baskets for breakfast many times. It is also called Egg in a Hole and One Eyed Jack.
This dish has been deliciously reinvented by Cracker Barrel with the use of sourdough bread. The result is simply tasty elegance at its best – grilled sourdough bread with an egg cooked gently inside a toasted sourdough delight.
I probably didn’t try it sooner because I ate eggs in a basket so often when I was younger and I didn’t recognize how Cracker Barrel had made it even yummier.
Cracker Barrel will serve eggs in a basket up with some of their famous fried apples or even their hashbrown casserole – you get to choose. Don’t miss out on this breakfast treat – you won’t regret it. Put your egg in one sourdough basket.
Recipe Ingredients
Here’s a list of what you need:
- Sourdough bread slice
- Butter
- Egg
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
History of Sourdough
There’s no historical record of who made the first loaf of bread, but it most likely occurred in Egypt over 4,000 years ago. We can imagine that perhaps someone forgot about some wheat porridge they had made and then decided to use it up by baking it.
That lucky baker discovered sourdough bread. It’s a type of bread humans have continued to make – on purpose – ever since.
Health Benefits of Sourdough
If you avoid carbs but love bread, sourdough may be the answer. Sourdough bread involves a lengthy fermentation process that breaks down starches, making it lower on the glycemic index than most other types of bread.
Most people don’t need much convincing to eat more sourdough – the complex taste and the crusty exterior contrasted with the airy interior are reasons enough.
Take a look at this lengthy discussion about sourdough. It even tells you how to make your own if you are an ambitious home bread maker.
How to Make Egg in a Basket
- Cut a circle in the center of the bread and remove the cutout circle.
- Spread butter on both sides of the bread.
- Place the buttered bread into a skillet over medium heat.
- Crack the egg into the hole of the bread.
- Cook the bread until it is toasted on the bottom side.
- Flip the bread over toast it on the other side.
- Season it with salt and pepper to taste.
Breakfast, Breakfast, Breakfast
Cracker Barrel believes their breakfasts are so good that they serve them all day. If you are unfortunate enough not to live near a Cracker Barrel, you can still have food that tastes just like theirs.
Cracker Barrel Egg in a Basket is a great way to serve eggs. Your kids will be intrigued with the way it looks, and your whole family will enjoy eggs prepared this way.
Love Cracker Barrel? Try these copycat recipes!
- Coca Cola Cake
- Cucumber Tomato Salad
- Egg Bake with Ham
- Glazed Baby Carrots
- Meatloaf with Ritz Crackers
- Pumpkin Custard
Favorite Breakfast Recipes
- Blintz Recipe
- Eggs a la Goldenrod
- French Toast Sticks
- Fried Cornmeal Mush
- How to Cook Oatmeal
- McDonalds McMuffin
- Oven Baked Eggs
Check out more of my easy breakfast recipes and the best Cracker Barrel recipes here on CopyKat!
Cracker Barrel Egg in a Basket
Ingredients
- 1 slice sourdough bread
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 egg
- salt
- ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat.
- Press a small biscuit cutter or juice jar into the sourdough bread slice. Twist slightly to cut a circle in the center of the bread.
- Remove the cut out circle.
- Spread butter on both sides of the bread.
- Place the bread into the pan.
- Crack the egg into the hole.
- When the bread is toasted on the bottom side (it takes about a minute), flip the bread over and allow it to toast on the other side.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
donna
I had never had this before Saturday. A coworker and I went to Cracker Barrell when we got off work at 8am. We both had the Egg in a Basket and fell in love with it and the Hashbrown casserole! I am not a breakfast food fan but this is wonderful. (Not a fan of cooking either but you have to eat) I will try your recipes for both items. Thank you. donna
Stephanie
I hope you enjoy these!
Stephanie
I hope you enjoy both of these!
SamT
My kids loved this!
Kathie
Do you have a copycat recipe for Cracker Barrel’s chicken pot pie soup? I’ve had it only once, and it is to die for! It is not a regular menu item, unfortunately. I wish it were.
Stephanie
That one is in the works!
Houstonfit
Made these for my kids first day of school breakfast!
Ramona
We grew up calling it “egg in a nest”..!
Timberowl
Need to add “egg” to the ingredients for the recipe!
Stephanie
That’s a great idea.
Stephanie
This has lots of different names, egg in a basket, eggs in a hole, egg in a nest ;), I am sure there are more names.
Toni | Boulder Locavore
Such an amazing day starter!
Lori @ RecipeGirl
Classic favorite- the best!!!
Cathy @ Noble Pig
Sigh. I’ve never been to Cracker Barrel. I need to get on that!
Pat Padgett
If you live in the Inited Stated and are not obsessed with gluten-free, non GMO and all the things some people are obsessed with… If you want comfort food like you grew up with… Then Cracker Barrel is like coming home. And their bathrooms are clean!!!
Melissa Sperka
So fn, the kids love it when I make these!
Jennifer Farley
This is such a fun recipe! Trying this for breakfast tomorrow.
Joanne
Such a fun but simple breakfast, especially for kids!
Liz
I grew up with this being a favorite breakfast! Your recipe is perfect!
Joanna Cismaru
Love this, we just had this for breakfast, so delicious!
lc
this is perfect!
Ron Estrada
Instead of spreading butter on the bread, I just melt some in the skillet and brown both sides. Much simpler.
Stephanie
Brilliant!
Laura H.
That’s the way I’ve always made it, too, Ron. I also go ahead and cook/toast the circles I cut out in the butter when I’m cooking the rest. I use regular bread, though. I would imagine any bread would work with this. I grew up eating this and made it for my children, who are all now grown.
Houstonfit
I can remember having these as a kid, I never think to make these for breakfast!
Melissa Lee Ragsdill
Awesome as always 🙂
Stephanie
Thanks Melissa!
joan montecino
I have made this quite a few times for my children and called it egg in a hole
Pam
My dad called them “one eyed queens”.
Stephanie
I love that name!
Joanne Bishop
My grandfather made a version of this with reg. bakery bread back in the 50’s. He called it a “One Eyed Sandwich”.
Stephanie
How awesome 😉 Both of my grandfathers cooked too!