Name: Irresistible Croque Madame Toast
Prep time: 12 min
Cook time: 22 min
Total time: 42 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 50 gram Gruyère; 11 gram All-purpose wheat flour; 2 gram Rainbow Peppercorns; 4 piece White Toast Bread; 1 tablespoon Parsley Leaves; 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard; 3 gram White Pepper; 2 piece Chicken Eggs; 3 gram Nutmeg; 25 gram Unsalted Butter; 250 gram Fresh Whole Milk (3.5% Fat); 5 gram Salt; 80 gram Bone-in ham

Croque Madame: Baked Ham, Cheese and Egg Toast

Step-by-step method

Let’s cook

At a glance

You're building a sophisticated French sandwich by layering toasted bread with creamy béchamel sauce, ham, and cheese, then baking it until golden—the trickiest part is making a silky béchamel without lumps. A runny fried egg goes on top just before serving, bringing everything together beautifully. The whole thing comes together in about 30 minutes, making it perfect for a fancy breakfast or impressive lunch.

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Toast the bread and grate the cheese

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Arrange the slices of toasting bread on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and toast on both sides until golden. Meanwhile, grate the Gruyère.

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50 gram
Gruyère

4 piece
White Toast Bread
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Start the béchamel

Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add the plain flour and whisk continuously until you get a pale roux with no raw flour taste (about 2–3 minutes).

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11 gram
All-purpose wheat flour

15 gram
Unsalted Butter
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Make the creamy béchamel sauce

Whisking constantly, gradually pour in the cold milk to avoid lumps. Cook over low heat, stirring, until the sauce thickens into a smooth, creamy consistency (about 5–7 minutes).

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250 gram
Fresh Whole Milk (3.5% Fat)

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Season the béchamel

Take the finished béchamel off the heat and season with salt, freshly ground pepper and a pinch of nutmeg.

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3 gram
Salt

3 gram
Nutmeg

3 gram
White Pepper
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Layer the toasts

Spread the bottom slice of toasted bread generously with the béchamel sauce. Top with slices of good-quality ham and sprinkle over some of the grated cheese.

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80 gram
Bone-in ham
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Finish the toasts

Lightly spread one side of the top toast slice with Dijon mustard and the other side with béchamel sauce. Place it béchamel-side down onto the ham and cheese. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.

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1 teaspoon
Dijon Mustard
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Bake until golden

Place the assembled toasts on a baking tray and put them in the preheated oven. Bake until the cheese has melted and turned golden (about 5–10 minutes).
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Fry the perfect egg

While the toasts finish baking, melt a little butter or oil in a frying pan. Carefully crack in the egg and fry over low heat until the white has set but the yolk stays lovely and runny. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

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10 gram
Unsalted Butter

2 piece
Chicken Eggs

2 gram
Salt

2 gram
Rainbow Peppercorns
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Serve your croque madame

Take the hot baked toasts out of the oven and carefully top each one with a freshly fried egg. Garnish with a little fresh parsley, if you like.

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1 tablespoon
Parsley Leaves

Step-by-step method

At a glance

Toast the bread and grate the cheese

For this step

Start the béchamel

For this step

Make the creamy béchamel sauce

For this step

Season the béchamel

For this step

Layer the toasts

For this step

Finish the toasts

For this step

Bake until golden

Fry the perfect egg

For this step

Serve your croque madame

For this step

Croque Madame: Baked Ham, Cheese and Egg Toast

Ingredients — what you'll need

What's in it?

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