grandma bun: baked eggs in a bun

This week we attended the funeral of Cornelius' 96 year old grandma who was known to everyone in the family as Grandma Bun. Named so because of the delicious buns she always made for every family gathering. She was a hard-working lady who spent a lot of time baking and cooking up a storm. She was an avid quilter and was quilting right up until her death. On our fridge we have a photo of her from about 10 years ago when she was 84 years of age digging up a ditch to help out her grandchildren landscape their yard. I loved her spunk and admired her pride and her ability to never throw in the shovel, so to speak.


After the funeral, everyone headed down to the church basement for "fasba", a low German Mennonite term for coffee and sandwiches. This fasba meal included buns, deli meat, pickles and sweet danishes. Everyone sat down to fasba and reminisced about Grandma Bun, with people taking turns talking about their favorite memories. It was a lovely tribute to a wonderful woman. Afterwards, we helped tidy up which included taking home some buns and ham slices. So when it came to making breakfast this morning, I looked at those tired looking grocery-store bought buns and figured that maybe in my little way, I could pay tribute too.

Grandma Bun didn't like fast foods and she probably wrinkled her nose at store-bought pies. She relished homemade meals and I think she probably was quite resourceful herself when it came to cooking. So when I looked at what I had in my fridge and came up with baking eggs inside of some buns, well, I'm sure she would approve of this humble dish. Delicious and savory and easy to put together, this meal makes a wonderful breakfast any time of day.

savory baked eggs in a basket
4 whole wheat buns
unsalted butter
4 large free run eggs
4 slices of deli ham, diced
2 green onions, diced
1/4 c smoked gouda, grated
1 t sweet paprika
salt & pepper

1. Cut into the bottom of the buns, removing most of the insides...but keeping the outsides sturdy. You don't want to remove all of the insides but it should still be able to hold an egg and other good things. Dispose of those innards you just removed (or better yet, save them for breadcrumbs). Butter the inside shell of the bun and place on a cookie sheet. Bake at 300 degrees for 10 minutes or until butter melts and the bun is warmed through and just a bit toasted.

2. Place half of the ham and onions in the bottom of each bun, crack an egg into the hole and top with the remaining ham and onions. Sprinkle with cheese and paprika and salt and pepper. Cover with foil and bake for 10 - 15 minutes. Remove foil and place on upper oven rack and broil for a few minutes until cheese gets golden.