Japanese Egg Toast (エッグトースト)
This easy egg toast recipe is packed with protein and can be thrown together in about 6 minutes, thanks to an easy kitchen hack. The trick is to use a tube of Japanese mayonnaise to pipe a border around the toast, creating a well you can fill with an egg and any other toppings you like. I used bacon, but cheddar cheese, gruyere, tomatoes, asparagus, or corn are all great options. Once the mayonnaise is toasted, it releases its oil into the bread, imparting a buttery richness, while the mayo on top solidifies, making it less creamy and more like cheese.
Table of contents
Why This Recipe Works?
- Creating a border of mayonnaise around the edge of the bread holds the egg in place while you toast it.
- The mayo also seasons the toast; because it's cooked, the taste and texture become more like melted cheese than mayo.
- Toasting the egg on the bread results in a perfectly cooked egg with a soft creamy yolk.
Ingredients for Japanese Egg Toast
- Bread - While other types of sandwich bread will work (such as a rye or whole wheat), Japanese shokupan (a.k.a. milk bread) works best. It's very fluffy, which makes the crusts crispy once toasted, and the center of the bread has a satisfyingly chewy texture.
- Mayonnaise - The mayonnaise creates a border to keep the egg from running off while seasoning the toast. Unless you want to fill a piping bag with mayonnaise, I recommend using Japanese mayo, which comes in a squeeze bottle.
- Egg - To get the bright orange yolk, look for eggs laid by hens that were fed a diet high in beta carotene (usually marigolds and chili peppers).
- Bacon - Japanese bacon is fully cooked and is more like ham than the bacon in most countries. If your bacon is raw, I recommend precooking it in the microwave on a few sheets of paper towels to render out any excess fat; otherwise, your toast will get greasy. You could also substitute sausage, ham, smoked salmon, or sliced mushrooms.
- Garnish - I usually sprinkle a little salt and pepper on the egg to season it and then garnish the toast with something green such as scallions, chives, or chopped parsley, but you could use dried herbs or spices like paprika or za'atar.
How to Make Japanese Egg Toast
Use a large spoon to compress the center of the bread, creating an indentation for the egg to rest. Next, unscrew the red top off your bottle of Kewpie mayonnaise and pipe out a border of mayonnaise around the edges of the bread.
Break an egg into the center of the bread and then season it with salt and pepper. Scatter some chopped bacon on top of the egg and then put it in a toaster oven for four to five minutes. You want the bread to toast up nice and crisp with the mayonnaise turning golden brown. At this point you should have a runny yolk, but carry over cooking will thicken it up a bit. If you want to a firmer yolk, you can turn off the toaster and let the egg yolk continue to cook with residual heat for a few more minutes.
Garnish your egg toast with scallions or herbs and serve immediately.
Other Japanese Toast Recipes
📖 Recipe
Units
Ingredients
- 1 slice Japanese sandwich bread (thick-cut)
- Japanese mayonnaise (about 2 tablespoons)
- 1 large egg
- salt (to taste)
- black pepper (to taste)
- 1 slice bacon (chopped)
- 1 scallion (chopped for garnish)
Instructions
- Use the backside of a spoon to create an indentation in the center of the bread that's big enough to hold the egg.
- Use the star-shaped tip of your bottle of Japanese mayonnaise to pipe a border around the crust of the bread.
- Break an egg into the center of the toast and season it with salt and pepper.
- Scatter the chopped bacon around the egg toast and then put the bread in a toaster oven set to "toast" for 4-5 minutes. The bread should end up crisp, and the mayonnaise should be browned along the top.
- Garnish your Japanese egg toast with scallions or herbs and serve.
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