This classic English breakfast dish is always a hit in my house. It consists of nothing more than an egg and toast, but the soft boiled egg and toasty “soldiers” make it a fun and complete breakfast for everyone in the family. It’s quick enough for a school (or camp) morning and delivers a healthy breakfast that will keep you going until lunchtime.
So the egg is just a soft boiled egg, which is right in between poached and hard boiled. If you like it pretty runny, you boil it for 5 minutes. If that grosses you out, you could go closer to 7 minutes, but any longer and you’ll have more of a hard yolk.
The ‘soldiers’ are just a piece of buttered toast cut into little sticks that are perfect for dipping into the drippy yolk. My son loves hard boiled eggs but he doesn’t like the hard yolk. When I cook it this way though, he actually eats the yolk without protest. There you have it! Egg and Soldiers. It’s delish!
Bring some water to a boil, add the egg(s) and lower the heat a little so the water is still bubbling but not so much that its too rough for the eggs. Set your timer for 5 to 7 minutes depending on your preference. When your timer goes off, carefully take the eggs out of the boiling water and run them under cold water for a minute. Once cool to the touch, lightly tap around the top third of the egg with a knife to remove the shell from that part only, essentially opening up the top of the egg. Spoon away the white to reveal the yolk and sprinkle some salt and pepper on top to your taste.
Spread some butter on your toasted bread and cut the slice into sticks. Start dipping! Spoon out the rest of the egg white to eat it once you’re done soaking up the yolk.
Maria Tettamanti says
This looks delish…but I always overcook my eggs:(
alexkatzman says
you gotta time it on your phone for real! xo