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Eggy Bread is a quick and easy breakfast that takes just 15 minutes to make. No frills, just savoury satisfaction you can serve up on its own or with your favourite sides. A quick dip in egg mixture and pan fry loaf slices in butter, and that’s it. So simple but oh-so good!
Eggy Bread is such a glorious nostalgic throwback, before the days we’d ever heard of French Toast in the UK.
I love this recipe for a low effort weekend breakfast, or when I have bread going a bit stale and I need to use it up (the slices might just need a little extra soaking time if it’s a bit hard, but if you’re using super fresh bread, it will help to lightly toast it before soaking it in the egg mix. This helps keep it from becoming too soggy and helps get delicious crispy edges.)
In case you’re not familiar with this classic dish, Eggy Bread is similar to French toast in that it’s slices of bread soaked in an eggy mixture, then pan fried to get lots of flavour.
However, if French Toast is the slightly sweet, chic recipe, Eggy Bread is its humble, savoury British brother (but I think that’s really just down to how they’re named!)
Eggy Bready tends to stick to butter and salt for flavour but if you’d rather a sweeter version, follow my French Toast recipe here.
For that recipe I love to add vanilla and cinnamon, with toppings like fruit and maple syrup, whereas I prefer to stick to savoury toppings for Eggy Bread, such as bacon and ketchup.
When it comes to which bread to use, you can use anything you have but we really like this made with a white farmhouse or tin loaf-style cut into nice thick slices. It keeps the flavour more savoury than using a brioche loaf, which is perfect for our French Toast.
This recipe is perfect for 4 servings (depending on how hungry everyone is), so you’ll need to halve the ingredients if you’re making it for 2 (or generally swap quantities up or down for however many you’re feeding.)
Why you’ll love this Easy Eggy Bread recipe
⭐️ Super quick and easy breakfast or brunch
⭐️ Customise with your favourite toppings
⭐️ Ideal for using up surplus or stale bread
Sarah’s Notes
Eggy Bread tastes good on its own, or just with a little ketchup or brown sauce, but it’s also fantastic when accompanied by other breakfast ingredients, such as bacon, mushrooms or tomatoes.
Of course, you can also add sweet toppings if you prefer, à la French Toast – maple syrup or honey, fruit or jam, a little cinnamon – all work nicely, but my preference is to keep this one savoury. You do you!
Eggy Bread Ingredients
- Eggs – You will need about 4 eggs for this recipe, which is a typical serving for 4, using 8 slices of bread, so bear this in mind when it comes to quantities for how many you’re making it for. I use medium, free-range eggs.
- Milk – You can use whichever milk you prefer for this recipe. Cow’s milk or dairy-free all work fine.
- Butter – I use unsalted for this recipe but it’s fine to use salted too.
- Bread – I like to go for thick white sliced bread for this recipe, but anything you have will work. See the notes below on the consistency of the bread.
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper – Season generously.
How to make Eggy Bread
1. Measure the eggs and milk and place into a wide bowl or baking tray. Add a pinch of salt and pepper.
2. Whisk the ingredients together, as per the full recipe below. Melt some butter in a pan.
3. Place the slices of bread in the egg mixture for a few seconds on each side.
4. Place them in the pan and cook until crispy and golden, then carefully flip and cook on the other side. Add more butter when you flip the slices over.
Storing
Eggy Bread is best eaten as soon as it’s made otherwise it will go soggy (but still delicious!)
Can you freeze Eggy Bread? It’s best enjoyed fresh. However, if you have any bread going stale, freeze the slices and then defrost and use to make this. You won’t notice it was once frozen when it’s been dipped in the mixture.
Recipe Tips
Type of bread
We really like this made with a white farmhouse or tin loaf-style cut into nice thick slices. It keeps the flavour more savoury than using a brioche loaf, which is perfect for our French Toast.
It will really work with any bread though, so use what you have in or prefer.
How to get crispy Eggy Bread
If you’re using slightly stale bread here, the slices might just need a little extra soaking time. But if your bread is super fresh, it will help to lightly toast it before soaking in the egg mix. This helps the slices from becoming too soggy and means we can get those delicious crispy edges.
More tasty breakfast recipes…
FAQs
The recipe below is typically for about 4 servings, so you’ll need to halve it if you’re making it for 2 etc.
It’s best to only dip it in and coat the bread, leaving maybe for seconds rather than minutes, as we don’t want it to fall apart. If you’re using slightly harder bread that’s going stale, you can leave it in the mixture for a little longer to soften it up again though.
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Eggy Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 Eggs, Medium, free range
- 300 ml (1 1/4 cups) Milk
- 80 g (3 oz) Butter, For frying
- 8 Slices of thick white bread
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For serving:
- Bacon, mushrooms, ketchup, tomatoes etc
Instructions
- Make the eggy mixture: Whisk the eggs and milk together, along with a pinch of salt and pepper, in a wide bowl or baking tray.
- Melt the butter: Heat half of the butter in a large frying pan over a medium high heat.
- Fry: Place the slices of bread in the egg mixture for a few seconds on each side, then place in the pan.
- Flip over, add more butter: Cook for 30 seconds or so until crispy and golden, then carefully flip and cook on the other side. Add the rest of the butter when you flip the slices over. (If your pan isn’t big enough for all the slices at once, cook them in batches, only soaking the bread just before you fry it.)
- Serve with or without toppings: Serve hot with your favourite savoury breakfast ingredients.
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Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation. Nutritional values are per portion unless otherwise stated.
