Poached Egg with Hollandaise Sauce with homemade bread

👨‍🍳 Method

For the homemade bread ✓ Homemade · or skip – back to store-bought

1. 1
   Mix the flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl.

   Bowl
2. 2
   Add the lukewarm water and olive oil and Knead about 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth, pliable and doesn't stick to your hands.

   BowlStand mixer

   💡For yeast dough, use the windowpane test: a small piece stretches into a thin, translucent sheet without tearing, and that's the sign the kneading is done. Add flour only by the tablespoon, and only if the dough is still sticky after a few minutes: too much flour makes a tough dough.
3. 3
   Cover and Let rise about an hour in a warm place, until the dough doubles in size.

   Plastic wraporKitchen towel

   💡Let rise in a warm, draft-free spot. The dough is ready when it has doubled, and a gentle finger press leaves a dent that fills back slowly; if it springs right back, wait longer.
4. 4
   Shape the dough into an oblong loaf and place it in loaf pan lined with parchment paper.

   Loaf pan

   💡Shape a tight loaf the length of the pan: it fills the pan evenly, and the bread rises tall instead of spreading sideways.
5. 5
   Cover and Let rise 30 minutes, until the loaf has risen.

   Plastic wraporKitchen towel
6. 6
   Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F).

   Oven

   💡Put things in the oven only once it's reached temperature, after the heating light has gone off: an oven that hasn't reached temperature changes baking times, and the bake burns outside or stays underbaked.
7. 7
   Bake 35–40 minutes, until the loaf is browned and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

   OvenLoaf pan

   💡Tapping the bottom of the loaf is the test: baked bread sounds hollow; if the sound is dull, put it back in the oven for a few more minutes.

   💡Check by the cue (until…), not just the clock: every oven bakes a little differently.
8. 8
   Turn the loaf out of the pan and let cool on a rack before slicing.

   Cooling rack

   💡Bread left in the hot pan sweats, and its crust softens: turn it out right away and cool it on a rack.

For the Hollandaise

1. 9
   Melt the butter and keep it warm.

   StoveorMicrowave
2. 10
   Heat water in a pot and set a heatproof bowl over it so the water doesn't touch it.

   StovePotBowl
3. 11
   In the bowl, whisk the yolks with the lemon juice over low heat 3–4 minutes, until thick.

   Whisk

   💡The water bath gives gentle heat: over direct heat the yolks set into scrambled eggs. If the sauce starts to curdle, take it off the heat and add a tablespoon of cold water.
4. 12
   Add the melted butter one tablespoon at a time, waiting for each to be absorbed before adding the next, while whisking constantly, until a smooth, thick sauce.

   Whisk

   💡The thin stream is everything: fat that goes in too fast can't bind, and the sauce breaks. For mayonnaise and hollandaise, if this happens, start with a fresh yolk and slowly add the broken sauce to it; if the sauce is too thick, thin it with a teaspoon of water.
5. 13
   Add the cayenne.
6. 14
   Season with salt and serve immediately.

For the Boiled Egg

1. 15
   Bring a deep pot with water to a gentle simmer and add the vinegar.

   StovePot
2. 16
   Crack each egg into a small cup, stir the water in a circle and slide in one egg.

   💡The vinegar sets the white quickly, and the whirlpool wraps it around the yolk: the egg stays round instead of spreading through the water.
3. 17
   Cook 3–4 minutes, until the white is set and the egg is springy to the touch, and lift out with a slotted spoon.

   StoveSlotted spoon

To assemble

1. 18
   Toast the bread and put it on plates.

   Pop-up toaster
2. 19
   Top with a poached egg, spoon over the hollandaise and serve immediately.

   💡Make the hollandaise first and keep it over a warm water bath: the eggs are ready in three minutes, and everything has to reach the plate together.