Eggs & Parmesan Soldiers

A delicious hands-off breakfast - lovely idea for breakfast in bed this coming Mothers Day! Perfectly soft-boiled eggs and golden, peppery parmesan toast soldiers. Made in your Instant Pot and Instant Vortex airfryer this recipe is simple enough any any level of cook, and perfect for involving little helpers!

Ingredients
4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1½ cups cold water
2–3 slices sourdough bread
3 tablespoons/45g butter
¼ cup parmesan, divided
Freshly cracked black pepper
Pinch of salt

Instructions

Preheat the air fryer to 180°C (350°F). Cut 2–3 slices of sourdough bread into slices around 1.5–2 cm thick. Trim the crusts and cut into toast soldiers.

In a small bowl, mix together 3 tablespoons butter, a generous crack of black pepper, and half of the ¼ cup parmesan with a pinch of salt. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed—the butter should be well-seasoned and peppery. Spread the butter mixture over the toast soldiers and sprinkle the remaining parmesan on top. Set aside.

Pour 1½ cups cold water into the base of the Instant Pot and insert the trivet. Gently place in 4 extra-large eggs cold from the fridge. Secure the lid and set the valve to Sealing. Set the Instant Pot to high pressure for 1 minute.

Once the timer beeps, allow a 1-minute natural release, then manually release any remaining pressure. As soon as the pin drops, transfer the eggs to cold running water or an ice bath to stop the cooking.

While the eggs cook, place the prepared toast soldiers into the air fryer. Cook for 2–4 minutes, turning halfway through, until golden and crisp.

To serve, crack the tops off the soft-boiled eggs and place in egg cups. Serve immediately with the hot parmesan toast soldiers for dipping.

Note: This recipe is designed for extra-large eggs taken straight from the fridge. Egg sizes vary slightly, so consider testing one egg the first time you try this method. If you’re using room-temperature eggs, release the pressure immediately after the timer beeps—do not wait for a full minute of natural release. Adjust timing slightly up or down depending on your preferred egg consistency.