Bacon Egg & Cheese
intro
Crispy smoky bacon, fluffy folded eggs, and melted cheddar on buttery toasted bread: this iconic handheld is hearty, fast, and endlessly satisfying.
Ingredients
Steps
Prep all ingredients
Crack 4 large eggs into a medium mixing bowl, add 2 tablespoons (30ml) whole milk, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Whisk vigorously for 30 seconds until the mixture is pale yellow and no streaks of egg white remain. Arrange bacon, cheddar slices, and bread slices within easy reach of the stovetop.
Crisp the bacon
Heat a 12-inch cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium heat (350°F / 175°C). Lay bacon slices in a single layer, cooking in 2 batches if needed to avoid crowding. Cook 4-5 minutes per side until deep golden with crispy, curled edges, then transfer bacon to a paper-towel lined plate to drain. Leave 1 teaspoon of bacon grease in the skillet for toasting.
Toast the bread slices
Reduce skillet heat to medium-low (325°F / 160°C). Add 1 tablespoon (14g) unsalted butter to the reserved bacon grease, swirling the pan until butter is fully melted and foaming subsides. Place all 4 bread slices in the skillet, toasting 1.5-2 minutes per side until surfaces are golden brown and crisp. Transfer toasted bread to a clean plate.
Cook fluffy folded eggs
Reduce skillet heat to low (300°F / 150°C), add the remaining 1 tablespoon (14g) unsalted butter, and swirl to coat the entire pan surface. Pour in the whisked egg mixture, and let it set undisturbed for 30 seconds. Use a silicone spatula to gently push cooked egg curds from the pan edges to the center, tilting the pan to let uncooked egg flow into empty gaps. Cook for 2 total minutes until eggs are just set with soft, tender curds, then fold into a rough rectangle sized to match your bread slices.
Melt cheese and layer
Turn off the stovetop heat. Place 4 cheddar slices directly on top of the warm folded eggs, letting residual pan heat melt the cheese for 1 minute until soft and slightly oozing at the edges. Divide the crispy drained bacon (3 slices per sandwich) across 2 of the toasted bread slices, then top with the warm, cheese-covered egg layer, splitting it evenly between the two sandwiches.
Cut and serve hot
Place the remaining 2 toasted bread slices on top of each sandwich, pressing down gently to help layers stick together. Cut each sandwich diagonally into two triangles, and serve immediately while hot, with hot sauce or ketchup on the side if desired.
Tips
2.Do not overcrowd the pan when cooking bacon; crowded bacon steams instead of crisping, so cook in batches if your skillet is too small to lay slices in a single layer.
3.Let residual pan heat melt the cheese instead of cooking it over active heat; direct high heat can cause cheese to separate, turn greasy, or develop a rubbery texture.
OMG this is the easiest bacon egg and cheese I’ve ever made on busy school mornings! 15 minutes flat, no fancy gadgets, and my two picky kids devoured theirs before the bus even got here. I used sourdough bread instead of white because that’s what we had, and it was SO good. Total game changer for our weekday breakfast rotation!
Made this for our weekend potluck brunch and people were asking for the recipe left and right! I added a little dash of hot honey on mine and *chef’s kiss*. Only thing I’ll note is my bacon took a tiny bit longer to get crispy than I expected, so I’d recommend popping that in the pan first before prepping the eggs and cheese if you love extra crispy bacon like me.
Absolute staple for my weekly meal prep! I make a batch of these on Sunday, wrap them in parchment paper, and pop them in the fridge for quick grab-and-go breakfasts before work. They reheat perfectly in the microwave for 45 seconds—no soggy bread, no rubbery eggs. 10/10, will be making this every week for the foreseeable future.
Why did I overcomplicate breakfast sandwiches for so long??? I used to drive 10 minutes to the corner bodega every morning spending $7 a sandwich, and this tastes EXACTLY like the classic bodega BEC for a fraction of the cost. I used American cheese like the recipe says, thick cut bacon, and folded the egg just like the instructions walked through. Obsessed.
Okay as someone who literally burns toast 90% of the time, I was so nervous to make this, but it was actually so easy! The instructions were super straightforward, no weird fancy steps, and I didn’t burn a single thing. My roommate walked in and thought I ordered delivery lmao. Only thing I messed up was I forgot to salt the eggs, but it was still tasty even without it.
Threw these together for my crew after our early morning fishing trip a couple weeks back and everyone went back for seconds. Cooked the bacon on the outdoor flat top, threw the eggs down right after, melted sharp cheddar (swapped for American because that’s what we had in the cooler) and served them on toasted kaiser rolls. Perfect post-outing grub, zero complaints.