A great breakfast, brunch, lunch or grab and go snack, these buttermilk biscuit egg-in-a-hole are topped with an egg and cooked again, for a delicious all-in-one bite.
3/4cup buttermilk, cold, well shaken, plus more as needed *see Notes for DIY buttermilk
Milk or cream, for brushing tops
Topping:
7largeeggs
To serve:
Additional chopped chives, for garnish.
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Instructions
Preheat oven to 425F. (non-convection/not fan-assisted). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together well the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Grate cheddar cheese and dice chives. Add to flour mixture and toss with your fingers to coat/separate/combine the cheese and chives with the flour mixture. Add cold butter chunks to flour mixture. Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour mixture until you have coarse crumbs with butter pieces no larger than a pea. Add cold buttermilk and, using a fork, stir into the mixture until flour is evenly moistened. YOU MAY NEED TO ADD A TEASPOON OR TWO of ADDITIONAL BUTTERMILK, to thoroughly moisten.
Turn dough out onto to floured surface. Gather the dough into a mound and fold it over onto itself 2 or 3 times, until the dough is one moist piece. Form into a ball. Using a floured hand, press the dough down until you have an even 1-inch-thick piece of dough. Using a 3-inch cutter, cut rounds from the dough and place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, allowing several inches between each biscuit. Take scraps of dough and re-form into a 1-inch-thick piece, and cut more. You should get 6 or 7 biscuits. Brush the tops of biscuits with a bit of milk or cream.
Bake in preheated oven for 15-17 minutes or until lightly golden and just cooked through. Remove from oven, then remove biscuits from baking sheet onto a cooling rack. Reduce oven temperature to 350F and reserve the baking sheet with parchment.
Allow biscuits to cool for 15 minutes (or if making right ahead, allow to cool completely, then store in an airtight container until ready to make).
With a sharp knife, cut around the top of the biscuits, cutting straight down, about 1/2-inch in from the outside edge and about 1 inch deep. Once you have cut a circle all the way around, use the tip of the knife to lift out the round. Pull out bits of biscuit as needed to have a 1-inch deep hole that is flat on the bottom. Place biscuits back onto to baking sheet with parchment, allowing several inches between each one. Break an egg into the hole in each biscuit. Season the egg with a bit of salt and pepper.
Return to the 350F oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, depending on how runny you like your eggs. Check at 18-20 minutes, and if biscuits are getting too brown, you can loosely cover the top with a sheet of aluminum foil. Once the egg whites are set and the egg yolk is set slightly, remove from the oven. Allow to cool at least 5 minutes before eating, to allow the egg to set up a bit. Garnish with additional chopped chives and freshly ground pepper. These are good warm or at room temperature. Refrigerate leftovers.
Notes
*Make your own buttermilk by adding 2 tsp vinegar to a 3/4 cup milk and allow to stand 10 minutes before using.Tips!When cooking the individual biscuits first, be sure not to over-cook, as they will be making a return trip to the oven. I find 15 minutes is about right for them to be "just cooked". Likewise, when cooking the egg, bear in mind that it will continue to cook a bit after it comes out of the oven.If you are not a runny egg lover and prefer a firm set egg, pierce the yolk with a knife before putting it in the oven.Wanting a little meat with your biscuit? Add a few slices of cooked, chopped bacon or ham to the biscuit mix!While these are lovely warm from the oven, I actually prefer these after they have cooled to almost room temperature, or just slightly warm. I find you get more of the flavour when they are not so hot. Also, the egg will set up a bit more as it cools, so it's not quite as messy :)Be sure to read the notes above this recipe card for more tips on making this recipe.