I love cooking shows and in the past week or so I’ve seen two touting the foodie virtues of egg in the hole. The Pioneer Woman and Bobby Flay both served up mouth-watering variations on this (apparently) breakfast staple. I’ve never eaten egg in the hole so I decided today I needed to correct that deficit in my culinary experience. Plus, I was hungry and I thought what could be better than fried egg and bread?

I made the basic version – just egg and bread and butter – oh, my! I’d recently baked two loaves of homemade bread so I used a slice. The bread is denser than store-bought bread (don’t you love the term “store-bought”?) and it just sopped up the butter when I put it in the pan. I added the egg to the hole and it cooked perfectly, the bread toasting beautifully with a lovely brown crust.

I have been deprived, but no more. It was luscious. The bread was crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, the egg was satiny, creamy yumminess. It’s a perfect pairing that reminds me of a old couple who’ve been together for years: one crusty and one smooth, complete opposites that somehow fit.

I think I’ve found a new love.