Soft boiled egg in a cup (Avgo melato stin koupa)

A perfect soft boiled egg served in a small bowl or a cup with cubes of white bread. Seasoned with salt and pepper, this is a delicious way to start the day.

My Greek Baba always says that if you have eggs, you have a meal! Although he and my Mama often cook together, eggs really are his specialty. Whether it is making a favourite meal from his own childhood called Tsik tsik (Summer vegetables with egg) or frying the perfect egg in olive oil or making the classic Greek tomato and egg scramble called Strapatsada, my dad is the king of eggs! When I was a little girl, my Baba often made me avga stin koupa (or eggs in a cup) and I loved it then, and I still love it now!

Why I love this recipe

First of all, it brings me back to my childhood! I loved this simple and easy to eat dish when I was little, and every child I have known has loved it too! This is a great way to feed your little one a nutritious breakfast.

The combination of flavours and texture is great! The runny yolk coats the bread and with every bite you get wonderful textures and flavours.

Key ingredients

Egg I use large chicken eggs for this recipe. I try to purchase my eggs from a local farm whenever possible. Otherwise I try to find eggs that come from free-range chickens.

Bread For this recipe I try to use a nice soft loaf of bread. I slice it into 1 inch thick slice and tear it apart with my hands into bite-size pieces.

Salt & pepper All I add for additional flavour some salt and pepper to taste.

How to make it

Step 1
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Next, add the egg to the boiling water carefully and boil for exactly 5 minutes.

Step 2
While the egg is boiling, tear your piece of bread into small bite size pieces with your hand. Place in a small bowl or a cup and set aside.

Step 3
After 5 minutes transfer the egg immediately to a bowl of ice water. Allow to cool until easy to handle and peel. Place egg into your bowl or cup containing the bread and break the egg apart with your spoon. Season to taste the salt and pepper and mix to combine. Serve immediately.

Recipe substitutions

You can make this recipe with whole wheat or even whole grain bread if you prefer.

Helpful hints

I like to boil my egg for exactly 5 minutes when I serve it this way. However, a soft boiled egg can be ready in as little as 3 minutes, and so if you prefer a runnier egg yolk and looser egg white you can reduce the cooking time to 3 minutes.

I like to peel half my egg and then use a spoon to pry the rest of the egg out of the shell and have it drop into the bowl or cup containing the bread. I then use the spoon to break apart the egg.

I like to keep my bread un-toasted, but you can toast the bread first if you prefer.

I usually serve one egg per person, but this recipe can be double easily, either to serve more people or to make a larger portion.

Recipe variations

Simple egg recipes are wonderful. I also like to make a plain soft-boiled egg and I enjoy it with strips of bread that I dip into the yolk. Another great recipe it to make the viral feta fried egg and to serve that on top of a slice of toasted bread. So good!

Related recipes

Greek salad egg scramble (Horiatiki strapatsada)Leftover Greek salad? Don’t toss it! Make this instead – it is so good!

Red pepper and tomato egg muffins These are great to grab and go! I love to meal prep with these!

Eggs with potatoes and tomato A hearty but simple recipe that is perfect for breakfast or a light lunch.

Thanks for sharing!