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Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Breakfast Sandwich

Crisp bacon, a neat griddled egg, and cheddar melted over the top turn a toasted English muffin into a portable brunch sandwich.

A toasted English muffin holds crisp bacon, a griddled egg, and melted cheddar on a plain plate.

A crisp English muffin is the foundation for smoky bacon, a neat griddled egg, and cheddar melted directly over the egg.

The oven and skillet work overlap, bringing a small batch to the table in about 25 minutes while the bread stays toasted.

Start with crisp bacon

The oven gives the bacon room to brown evenly while the rest of the sandwich is staged. Drain it briefly on paper towels after baking so rendered fat does not soften the toasted muffin.

Shape the egg for the muffin

Butter the skillet lightly and cook the eggs over medium-low heat, using rings for clean edges that match the muffin. The whites should be opaque before flipping; a short covered finish melts cheddar onto each egg and sets the center.

Eggs cook in rings in a lightly buttered skillet until their whites turn opaque. — Eggs cook in rings in the buttered skillet as their whites set into neat muffin-sized rounds.

Keep the muffin toasted

Toast the split muffin halves until their cut faces are crisp, then leave them open in one layer until serving. Set bacon under the egg and add the top at the last moment, limiting the steam trapped against the bread.

Cook several without a slowdown

If the skillet cannot hold all the eggs, cook in rounds and keep the first round warm in a low oven while the next finishes. Melt cheddar over each cooked egg, and keep the muffin halves separate until assembly so the sandwich stays toasted.

Melted cheddar covers a firm griddled egg above crisp bacon and a golden toasted muffin. — Melted cheddar rests over the firm egg, with crisp bacon layered against the toasted muffin.

Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Breakfast Sandwich

4 sandwiches

25 minutes total

Ingredients

• 4 English muffins
• 8 slices thick-cut bacon
• 4 large eggs
• 4 slices sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Method

Heat the oven
Heat the oven to 400 F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment so the bacon can bake in one layer without sticking.
Look for: The parchment lies flat and the oven has reached 400 F.
Bake the bacon
Arrange the bacon slices without overlap and bake at 400 F for about 14 minutes, rotating the pan once, until the edges are deeply browned and the centers feel crisp. Transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain.
Look for: The bacon is browned through the center and stays crisp when lifted with tongs.
Toast the muffins
Split the English muffins and toast them cut side up until their surfaces are golden and crisp; leave the halves in one layer with the cut sides exposed until assembly.
Look for: The cut faces are dry, golden, and crisp rather than merely warm.
Butter the skillet
Set a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat, melt the butter, and coat the surface lightly. Set egg rings in the skillet if using them, then crack one egg into each ring; without rings, cook the eggs in batches and gently nudge each white into a muffin-sized round.
Look for: The butter coats the pan without browning, and each egg is contained in a neat round.
Griddle the eggs
Season the eggs with the salt and pepper and cook over medium-low heat until the whites are opaque and nearly set, about 3 minutes. Loosen each edge, lift off any rings, and carefully turn the eggs.
Look for: The whites are opaque with no runny patches, and the eggs release cleanly before turning.
Melt the cheddar
Put one cheddar slice over each egg, cover the skillet, and cook for about 1 minute until the cheese softens and the yolks are set. Transfer the finished eggs to a warm plate while any remaining batch cooks.
Look for: The cheddar drapes over each egg and the yolk no longer looks liquid.
Sequence a batch
For several sandwiches, start the bacon first, then split the muffins and stage the eggs and cheddar while it bakes. Toast the muffins as the bacon rests, and cook eggs together in a wide skillet when possible; keep a first egg batch warm in a 200 F oven if the skillet needs another round.
Look for: The bacon and muffins are ready as the eggs finish, and any held eggs stay warm without steaming the bread.
Assemble and serve
Place two bacon slices on each toasted muffin bottom, set a cheese-topped egg over the bacon, and cap with the muffin top just before serving so trapped steam has little time to soften the bread.
Look for: The sandwich is assembled while the muffin cut faces are still crisp and the egg is hot.