Recreating Denny’s Hobbit Hole Breakfast
The other day, I went to Denny’s to try their new Hobbit menu which is available for a limited time to celebrate the premiere of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. In particular, I wanted to try their Hobbit Hole Breakfast – “two eggs fried right into the center of grilled cheese bun halves” served with slices of bacon and hash browns topped with cheese and crumbled bacon.
Here, you can see how it looked on the menu and how it actually looked on my plate at Denny’s. It was kind of a mess, but I can report that it was delicious. My only complaint was that the cheesy hash browns (while crisp and tasty) didn’t have crumbled bacon on top as seen in the menu photo. Instead, it was topped with half a slice of bacon broken into 3 pieces. But all things considered, I was a happy with the meal (and very, very full).
Maybe I was inspired by the Lord Of The Rings stories… but on the way home, I decided I would have an adventure. I would create my own Hobbit Hole Breakfast. I would cut out bread in the form a ring and forge a wonderful meal. If it turned out super great, I would call it “Lord Of The Rings” (ie. The Almighty King of Breakfasts that resemble a ring).
Armed with bacon, a potato, two eggs, cheese and a roll (and a little butter and canola oil), I would transform these items into a complete breakfast – a feat of magic worthy of Gandalf. (He’s a wizard in the Hobbit movie – for those of you here for the recipe and not the cutesy movie correlation).
Let the adventure begin!
We’ve covered crispy hash browns and crispy bacon here before, so I’ll post some refresher links to those at the bottom. For now, let’s concentrate on the Hobbit Holes themselves.
Many of us have been making Hobbit Holes for years. But we’ve used regular bread and called them Egg In The Hole, Egg In The Basket, Popeyes or Birdies In A Nest. The only difference between those and a Hobbit Hole is the bread that you use. I found a terrific cheese roll at a local bakery. I’ve seen similar rolls in grocery stores, so you shouldn’t have too much trouble finding them.
Slice the roll in half and then cut a (hobbit) hole out of the center of each half using a 3-inch biscuit cutter.
Melt a couple Tablespoons of butter on a skillet or in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Place each slice on the hot surface with its flattest side down. Then, carefully crack an egg into each of the holes. Fry until the egg is almost fully set and then flip and fry the other side for one minute.
Tips: One of my Hobbit Holes was cooking slower than the other, so I placed the lid of a small pan over it to trap more heat and move things along. If you’re worried that the egg could plop out when flipping, take a flat wooden spoon and hold it over the hole as you flip and then just slide it out. Don’t forget to fry the little holes you cut out as well.
That’s all there is to it, my precious. If you make your own Homemade Hobbit Holes, let me know in the comments below.
Resources:
How To Make Crispy Hash Browns
Fun Side Note:
I went to a Denny’s in North Hollywood, CA. A few booths over from me, a tattooed hipster was actually reading J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit to his girlfriend as they ate. He read the character voices in a stern British accent and the narrative in his usual California valley voice. Here’s the funny thing… they didn’t order off of The Hobbit menu. They had a Moons Over My Hammy and a club sandwich. Go figure.
Your version looks much better than what you were served at Denny’s. Good job!
Thanks Kay! It tasted just a little better too (although the one at Denny’s was pretty good).
as the nearest Denny´s is across the ocean, I really appreciate this. Hubby will love it.
I hope your husband really likes it. Let me know if you try it.
Your version definitely looks 100x more appetizing. I find Denny’s definition of “crumbled bacon” to be hilarious. That torn bacon strip looked so sad.
Thanks Foogos! It was some sad looking bacon, but it tasted good. Mmmmmm…. bacon.
Hobbit holes were great, but what do you do with the cheese?
The cheese was for the hash browns. I sprinkled some on top just as soon as they were done.
I assume the cheese is for the hash browns mentioned above.
Exactly.
made mine with a potato bun and sprinkled shredded cheese on top….better I think
That sounds delicious. I might try that myself if I make it again.
Seeing as how I couldn’t find Cheddar Buns at any store in my town, I first made these with Onion buns. Turned out very good! Then I got to thinking, why not make my own Cheddar buns. I found a good recipe that uses Buttermilk instead of milk. Made another round of Hobbit Holes, seasoned with Garlic Salt/fresh cracked Pepper, and they were better than the first batch.
Ogrebeast – That sounds terrific. I’d like to try your Hobbit Holes. (Shoot, there’s no way to say that where it doesn’t sound dirty.) Glad the post inspired you to try your own variation!
Could you post the link to the bun recipe here? I’m trying every recipe but none are quite right
Goodness, your post reminded me of the Denny’s restaurant that used to be in Melbourne, Australia, 30 years ago, where I would often stop on my way to work in the mornings. Now that we are on our end of year break from work (no 4.30am get ups for a few weeks!) I can actually spend some time in the kitchen. Woot!