Gas House Eggs were a real favorite in my family while growing up. Eggs fried in a nest that you make by punching a hole in a slice of bread. The name is a common American mispronounciation of the term “Gasthaus”, but apparently these eggs are known by a dozen or more different names around the world
The best part of this breakfast is the small bread round that you cook alongside the egg. In my family, we called that part the “Ding-Ding”. That’s because we kids thought it looked like the Holy Host, and “Ding! Ding!” was the sound of the bells that rang whenever the priest raised the host for us to see during Mass. My kids have never been to a Mass, but they still call it a Ding-Ding.
Gas House Eggs
For each serving, you will need –
1 egg
1 slice bread (I used country white, but it’s just as good with whole wheat)
Butter or olive oil (I use olive oil these days, but butter tastes great…)
Salt and pepper to taste
Using a shot glass (who has shot glasses anymore?) or small jar top, punch out a hole in the center of each slice of bread.
Heat oil or melt butter in fry pan. Add bread to pan. Break the egg into the hole.
Add the Ding Ding to cook alongside the egg, flipping it halfway through so both side get nice and browned. Cover and cook till egg is cooked and bottom of bread is browned and crisp. (Flip the egg for once over If you like the yolk a bit more cooked.) Salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.
If you cooked your gas house egg just right, the bottom will look something like this –
Call it what you like, I call it delicious!
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More Reading on Gas House Eggs
- Scanman makes gashouse eggs, inspired by this post!
- Kitchen Parade counts the calories in a Gas House Egg
- Gas House Eggs are a favorite breakfast in the movies
- Gas House grilled cheese!
- Whole Wheat Bread makes a great Gas House Egg
- How about Mexican Gas House Eggs (using tortillas!)
We called these "Daddy's special eggs" when I was growing up because it was the only thing my dad could cook. It always annoyed my mother, because she made them better than he did, but that's what we called them
Now, in my grown up home with my kids, we call them peekaboo eggs.
In our family, this was known as Toad in the Hole. We kids didn't like fried eggs (my parents did), so the only part we liked was what you call the Ding Ding. Topped with a bit of jam, it was a delicacy worth fighting over!
Love these, my dad used to make them all the time! For anyone who doesn't know, "gasthouse" or more probably "gaesthaus" is a German word meaning "guest house". I've never heard that name for this dish, but it makes perfect sense. A couple of tips:
1) A biscuit cutter works well for cutting the hole, for a really fun time use a square one 🙂 A cookie cutter would work as well.
2) If, like me, you plan to flip them over, butter the side of the bread that will be "up" during the initial cooking so that it browns nicely when you flip it.
3) If you're so inclined, add a little garlic powder to the seasoning. Yum.
I still make these occasionally for myself, unfortunately they wouldn't work well for the B&B because I serve buffet style. If I were cooking to order they'd certainly be on the menu.
Peg –
I remember asking Dad about these eggs when we were growing up and he always told me that he learned how to make them from a scene in a movie but he never said which movie. I will have to ask him if it was Moon Over Miami.
XO, OBS Housekeeper
P.S. Your gashouse eggs looks WAY more appetizing than the ones that Dad made. Love your choice of side items…
We call it "ducks in a pond", and we use a particular juice glass to cut the pond.
I would never, ever, taint the luscious eggs, bread, sausage combination with something so wholesome as blueberrys though. It needs a BIG cup of coffee next to it – something like Maxwell House, and nothing fancier – and the Sunday paper…
Love the "ding ding" reference.
Good times.
Hi! Thanks for the link. Even though I posted that list of all the possible names for this dish, implausible though some of them may seem, I never had these as a kid and consequently only knew them as the Egg in a Nest. I enjoy the variety.
I am so excited to see this post! Ever since one of my best friends and I saw the movie Moonstruck – w/Gasthaus eggs by Olympia Dukakis – this breakfast has been near and dear to my heart! Thank you!
In my family we called them "Popeye Eggs" because the egg yolk looks like an eye. Love them whatever you call it.
Made gas house eggs for my wife yesterday, for the first time.
Never seen this way of making eggs in Norway.
She loved it and I'm guessing it will be a hit with the kids as well 🙂
Thanks for the recipe!
It's "Toad in a Hole" in my house and "Eggs in Pergatory" in my boyfriends house. I love them by any name.
And I thought my father invented this recipe for birdies in the nest!!!
We got to choose our favorite cookie cutter for the hole. The center was a "cookie"
Never seen this before, so I tried it. Delicious! Thank you!