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KB
Do I need a *recipe* for a breakfast sandwich? No. Did seeing this recipe inspire me to make myself one today for breakfast? Yes. Five dang stars! It was delicious. :))
kate
All we need is the Authentic hard roll recipe!!!!!!!!! PLEASE
Dan Z
the real question is how is it possible that the rest of America gets the roll wrong -- outside of a 90 mile NYC radius - all the rolls are bad. And the roll makes the sandwich - so sad indeed
Ingrid
Toasted leftover hamburger bun very lightly. Did the eggs in a frying pan and melted thin sliced ham and Swiss cheese on a paper plate in microwave for 30 seconds. Easy and quick. Tasty too.
Lynn
Agreed that we need an authentic hard roll recipe. That is one of those ingredients that, try as I may, I cannot locate on the west coast. Been looking for 40 years.
Beau
Need a Meliss Calrk video on the breakfast sandwich fold.
Kristy
For those asking for a Kaiser roll recipe: https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/kaiser-rolls-recipe
Ana
Yes to the hot sauce but no to the ketchup.
Patti
Does anyone have a good recipe for aNew York ex pat that I can make my own Kaiser rolls? My location has pitiful bread.
ML
I'm confused. How do you know what the top of the egg looks like if it's covered with cheese (as it should be)?
beth
I now FINALLY know why my many attempts to make this home have failed—I was not griddling the roll, and I was not wrapping the sandwich so it can steam! Thank you!
Dan W
"let sit for a couple minutes for all the elements to steam together." If you make any other changes to the recipe, can't get the proper roll, add avocado, whatever... do NOT eliminate this step!
Marianne
Try this with bright yellow mustard and pickled jalapenos. Cuts through all the fattiness - delicious!
Jean
Thanks for bringing back great memories. Too bad hard rolls are elusive outside the NYC metro area. I will have to settle for inferior rolls.
chris
For an encore, please share a recipe for a PB&J sandwich. Like KB, it did make me realize that I needed an egg sandwich
CJ
This sandwich works really well with a 5 inch piece from a loaf of po'boy bread. Here, in New Orleans, it's a great to a hard roll. Crystal hot sauce, please.
Jimmy L.
I've also had bacon, egg & cheese on seeded toasted rye. This makes a wonderful sandwich!
Melissa
For those asking about the Kaiser rolls and what makes them great, it’s the water in NYC. The water comes from the Croton/Catskill watershed and is so clean that it’s one of the only sources of water in the U.S. that doesn’t need to be filtered. Even if you were to make the rolls at home (though they would be really good), they wouldn’t be the same.
Kevin Chambers
Better with plant-based bacon
Mark Robbins
What about its cousin from NJ, the Taylor Ham, egg and cheese. Made with NJ’s own Taylor Pork roll-a spiced pork roll like bologna and Spam, combined! So good!
Zane
Have you heard the good news? It's chipotle mayo on your BEC.
Alex
Regrettable that this recipe has the eggs beaten and cooked hard. Runny-yolk BECs are the gold standard; we grudgingly accept bodegas making them scrambled and hard-cooked for portability. If you’re eating at home, why not make it right?
KP
For the Jersey variation of the BEC, try the PREC/THEC (pork roll, egg & cheese or Taylor Ham, egg & cheese - name varies depending on what part of the state you're from). Previously unavailable anywhere outside the NJ/Philly area, Taylor Pork Roll can now be found in supermarkets in a few other states, and by mail order elsewhere. (If Taylor Pork Roll isn't available, Case Pork Roll is an acceptable substitute, but only the tangy version.) Can sub a (real) bagel if a hard roll isn't handy.
Liz
I lived in NYC for 18 years and then moved to L.A. and I cannot find a decent kaiser roll to save my life. I can make a breakfast sandwich but it will never compare to the classic B.E.C. When I visit NYC it is pretty much the first thing I eat and then repeat that meal several times. I even ask my friends visiting from NYC to bring me authentic kaiser rolls if they can. If I could open a food truck in L.A. that just served B.E.C.'s on REAL kaiser rolls I would be a millionaire!
Raphael
Like so many of those commenting, my Central Connecticut location is devoid of a decent hard roll -- they are all soft, even when called a "hard" roll. But, when staying in Manhattan, I often order the sandwich from my local breakfast cart, whose proprietor is a wonderful man from Afghanistan. Sometimes, at my request, he uses a Portuguese roll. And he always wraps it up in aluminum foil. It's a treat.
Brian
Tasty interpretation (how could it be bad?) but an interpretation nonetheless. As a New Yorker steeped in these, authenticity, for those seeking it, requires pork bacon, a fried egg or 2 (the cold cook in a hurry will probably be willing to break the yolks if you ask), and one slice of cheese. Also, the roll is not buttered or toasted, although that’s an obvious improvement to this classic on-the-way-to-work brekky. And those who truly understand also know what a “coffee regular” is.
Joe
Grew up on these sandwiches and still get them when I can. My only problem with making them? Up here in central Connecticut, I can't get a Kaiser roll that tastes anything like the ones that are ubiquitous to NYC-LI. Must be a regional bakery thing.
nan
Fry the eggs! IMO scrambled eggs dry out the sandwich.
Hilary T
This recipe changed the way I make breakfast sandwiches! We are all better for having Ali Slagle be out guiding light. The method for cooking the eggs and layering the cheese is perfection. Takes a while to make if you have more than one person to cook for- if use a griddle for the roll in that case. I make it with croissants as the bread and it’s delicious!!
BlunderSalad
A solid recipe, I suppose, but not sure it’s a necessary one. Basic stuff. Personally, the ketchup is a no for me… much more happy with a spicy mustard in this sandwich scenario.
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