Crispy And Smothered: Scrambled Eggs With Bread Crumbs
Deborah Madison's cookbooks are mainstays of any dedicated home cook's kitchen library. Her wonderfully accessible, homey and nourishing fare is perfect for weekdays and dinner parties alike. Grab a few simple ingredients and make these crispy-creamy scrambled eggs with bread crumbs.
This is a simple sort of inversion that surprises: spooning toasted bread crumbs over your scrambled eggs instead of putting your eggs on top of toast. It's the same bread — though it can easily be about half the amount you might eat at breakfast — and, while I didn't have this in mind when I first starting preparing eggs this way, the buttery, crisp crumbs do fill the desire for something crunchy. One slice of bread will suffice for two servings, but you might also make two slices into crumbs if the pieces are small. Use whatever bread you like — a sturdy whole wheat, a white sandwich bread, a gluten-free bread, ciabatta, and so forth. I especially like Ezekiel sprouted whole-grain bread for these crumbs. I also like a thin sliver of goat's milk Gouda set over the eggs, but that's entirely optional.
Three large eggs are more than ample for two of us at breakfast. If your eggs are smaller, use four, or whatever you consider right for breakfast — you know best.
- 2 slices bread
- butter
- 3 or 4 large eggs
- Sea salt and a grind of pepper
- Cream or water
- Thin slices of a favorite cheese (optional)
- Cut the crusts off the bread if they’re very thick and tough, then make the remaining bread into crumbs in a food processor. Melt a teaspoon or more of butter in a skillet, add the bread crumbs, and cook them over medium heat, stirring frequently, until they’re toasty and crisp, about 5 minutes — longer if the bread is very fresh and dense.
- Crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk them with a few pinches of salt and some pepper. If you wish, add a few spoonfuls of cream or water.
- Melt about a tablespoon of butter in an 8-inch skillet over medium-low heat. When it bubbles, pour in the eggs. Using a wooden spoon or rubber scraper, move the eggs around the pan until they’re as moist or dry as you like them.
- Divide between two warm plates, add a slice of cheese if you wish, and then spoon the bread crumbs over all.