Cinnamon toast

Ree at The Pioneer Woman makes me giggle. I love her posts, and her keenness for butter. Before her post on cinnamon toast, I had never even heard of the concept. It’s one of those foolproof ingredient combinations though: butter + sugar + cinnamon + toast. There are, however, better and worse ways of combining these ingredients. My favourite for a quick breakfast treat is to let some chunks of butter sit out of the fridge in the kitchen overnight. Then smush the sugar and cinnamon in with the butter. Then shmear it over the toast, to the very edge. Then, if using thick bread, throw straight under the grill/broiler until the sugar goes a little crispy and bubbles. If I’m using thick, dense toast, I eat it with a knife and fork, so I have gums left at the end of the toast eating extravaganza. Or if you’re using thin slices of bread, take Ree’s advice and bake for 10 minutes at 180C (355F) before grilling, so it’s not too soggy from all the butter.

Trust me. This is not like ordinary toast.

See how the top of the bread is like creme brulee? Oh me. Oh my.

Ree gives us some proportions, but I think just go about half and half on the butter and sugar (brown, white or raw), then as much cinnamon as your heart desires (just not as much as my boyfriend’s, unless you want cinnamon-itis). Remember, if you’re using salty bread…er…don’t use it? Use neutral-tasting bread! This includes wholemeal, by the way…don’t think you could get away with white bread! Actually wholemeal is a lot nicer for cinnamon toast in my opinion. Both salted and unsalted butter works – if using the latter, add a sprinkle of salt to the sugar/cinnamon mixture. Also, if you are someone who likes options, Molly at Orangette melts the butter first, brushes it onto the bread, then dips the bread slices in cinnamon, then bakes. Personally melting butter to me = adding one more dish to the pile = looking for another recipe, but of course, you may be the procrastinating type and use this as a nice little reason for a break from the impending deadline for an assignment. Shrugs.

Oh, and watch your toast! It’s not only fun seeing the sugar bubble like the top of a cauldron of fantastical ingredients, it’ll prevent you from whipping around halfway through a conversation with your flatmate only to find thick tendrils of smoke pouring out of the oven and the smell of burnt sugar overwhelming your nostrils. SAD FACE.

Happy crunching.

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