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The Ultimate Bacon, Egg and Cheese Bagel

A proper bacon, egg and cheese bagel made the right way, with crispy streaky bacon, a fried egg with melted Gruyère, and the full breakdown of what actually makes the difference.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings: 2
Course: Breakfast, brunch
Cuisine: British
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 bagels plain, sesame, or everything
  • 6 rashers of streaky bacon
  • 2 eggs
  • 4 slices of Gruyère or Edam
  • Butter for the bagels
  • Salt and pepper
  • Brown sauce ketchup, or English mustard to serve

Method
 

  1. Cook the bacon rashers in a dry frying pan over a medium-high heat until properly crispy. Set aside on a plate but leave the bacon fat in the pan.
  2. Turn the heat down to medium. Crack the eggs into the bacon fat and fry gently, folding the edges of the white back on itself as it sets to make a roughly round shape. Season with a little salt and pepper.
  3. Once the white is fully set, lay two slices of cheese on top of each egg. Place a lid or plate over the pan for about 30 seconds until the cheese melts.
  4. While the eggs are finishing, toast the bagel halves face down in a separate dry pan over a medium heat until golden.
  5. Butter both halves of each toasted bagel. Spread your sauce of choice on the top half only.
  6. To assemble: place the egg with melted cheese on the bottom half, lay the bacon flat on top, then close with the sauced top half. Eat immediately.

Notes

Streaky bacon crisped until properly crispy works best here. Back bacon is fine if that's what you've got, but you'll lose some of the texture contrast.
Gruyère and Edam both melt far better than mature cheddar. If you only have mature cheddar, mild cheddar is actually a better swap for meltability.
The lid trick for melting the cheese is the single most useful step in this recipe. Don't skip it.
Assemble and eat straight away. These don't sit well once built.