Soft-Boiled Eggs & Soldiers
Jammy yolks and buttered toast strips for dipping. Breakfast theatre, four ingredients.
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Join HomecookedIngredients
- 4 Egg
- 2 slices Bread
- 20 g Butter
- ¼ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Black pepper (optional)
Method
- Bring a small saucepan of water to a rolling boil over high heat.
- Lower the eggs gently into the boiling water with a spoon and cook exactly 6 minutes for set whites and runny, jammy yolks.
- While the eggs cook, toast the bread slices in the toaster until golden and crisp.
- Butter the toast generously and cut it into finger-width strips.
- Sit the eggs in egg cups, slice off the tops with a knife, season with the salt and pepper, and dip the soldiers straight into the yolks.
Nutrition per serving
Estimated from ingredients; varies with exact portions and brands.
About Soft-Boiled Eggs & Soldiers
Soft-boiled eggs and soldiers is a British breakfast institution and a childhood ritual: an egg boiled just until the white sets and the yolk stays liquid, sat upright in an egg cup, its top sliced off, with strips of buttered toast lined up for dipping. The toast fingers are the soldiers, and dunking them into the warm yolk is the entire pleasure of the thing. With only four ingredients, its reputation rests not on complexity but on precision and a certain gentle theatre.
Timing is everything, and six minutes in already-boiling water is the sweet spot for firmly set whites and a runny, jammy yolk that coats each soldier. Lowering the eggs in gently keeps them from cracking, and buttering the toast generously before cutting it into finger-width strips is what makes the dipping worth it. Season the opened egg with a little salt and pepper and eat immediately, while the yolk is still hot and flowing. Quick, comforting, and easy to share, it is as good a light supper as it is a breakfast, and it remains one of the most reassuring ways to eat an egg.
Soft-Boiled Eggs & Soldiers: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Soft-Boiled Eggs & Soldiers?
One serving of Soft-Boiled Eggs & Soldiers has about 296 calories, with 17g of protein, 15g of carbs, 19g of fat and 2g of fiber. These are estimates based on the ingredient amounts in this recipe and will vary with your exact portions and brands.
Is Soft-Boiled Eggs & Soldiers gluten-free?
As written, no — it contains Bread. You'd need a certified gluten-free swap for that ingredient to make it gluten-free.
Is Soft-Boiled Eggs & Soldiers dairy-free?
Not as written — it uses Butter. Swapping it for a plant-based alternative makes it dairy-free.
How long does Soft-Boiled Eggs & Soldiers take to make?
About 10 minutes start to finish, but only around 2 of those are hands-on — the rest is cooking time. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
Do I need every ingredient to make Soft-Boiled Eggs & Soldiers?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out black pepper — it's optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Soft-Boiled Eggs & Soldiers make?
This recipe makes 2 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.