Can Toast Reach New Heights?

Sometimes we have to contemplate the big questions in life. Where do we come from? Is there life after death? Can we really put anything on toast and it’ll taste good? We really can’t help you with the first two questions, we’re sorry. But toast? Toast we know about.

We’ve been busy building famous British landmarks out of toast over the past few weeks and once you’ve built a Toast-henge, you really have to wonder whether there is anything more you can do with it.

After all, toast is not just for breakfast, it’s not just for cat breading (Google it – now) and it’s not just for squinting at to see if you can feasibly contact the local press claiming there’s an image of Jesus there.

Trust us, there are new things to do with toast.

Bread and butter pudding is perfect winter comfort food. Traditionally, it’s made with marmalade and raisins and is a classic post-Sunday dinner dessert. It’s also a great way to use up stale bread – pop it in the toaster and it’s perfectly usable.

Have you ever thought of making a savoury version though? It’s really easy and really tasty too. Like with the traditional sweet version, you’ll need some kind of spread (butter will do just fine), eggs and some extras like meat or veg too.

For flavourspiration, check out this recipe from Corrie’s Rabbit Food. Maybe add some spinach or spring onions too for extra greenery and treat yourself to eating it out of the tray with a spoon in front of the TV for the perfect winter evening supper.

Now, don’t get us wrong, we think cheese on toast is brilliant. It’s definitely got a high place in our list of the top snacks of all time.

Let’s face it, few things beat melted cheese – except perhaps melted cheese on top of pizza sauce topped with a slice or two of pepperoni. Yes, pizza would most definitely be on that as-yet-uncompiled list too, but for now, we want to introduce you to the concept of pizza toast – it’s a serious game-changer.

One Two Simple Cooking has a recipe you can follow to make your own, but it is super simple: Toast some bread. Top it with passata and maybe some dried basil. Add some sliced veg or cooked meat. Top with cheese. Add more herbs or some chilli flakes if you want a bit of a kick. Pop under the grill for a few minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and melted. Eat.

Is it cheese on toast? Is it pizza? Your taste buds won’t know what’s going on.

Prawn toast is a starter that you order from the Chinese, not something that you make yourself, right? Not necessarily. With some bread, prawns, sesame seeds and a few extras like ginger and soy sauce, you can quite quickly make your own prawn toast that’ll be much better for you than the slightly greasy version from your local takeaway.

Follow The Travelling Tikki’s recipe and you’ll be surprised just how easy it is. Cook up a quick stir fry too and your guests will be seriously impressed next time you have them over for a Chinese.

Chicken nuggets, fish fingers, shaped turkey steaks – the teatime of dreams for kids. But what has this got to do with toast?!

Well, if you whizz some toast up in your food processor, you’ll have a supply of breadcrumbs within seconds. Simply dip slices of fish or chunks of chicken in egg and then roll it in the crumbs before baking in the oven until the meat/fish is cooked. You could take things up a notch by using a cookie cutter to shape chops or steaks to make teatime even more fun – you’re never too old for breaded chicken shaped like a dinosaur. Fact.

Ever eaten toast for dessert because you were too lazy to prepare anything else so just covered a slice or two in peanut butter or chocolate spread and called it pudding? There’s no shame in that whatsoever, but you could plan to make toast part of your dessert and actually make some pretty impressive and tasty post-meal treats.

For example, sandwich a couple of slices together with a few spoonfuls of mincemeat and you’ve got mince pie toast! Perfect in the run up to Christmas!

Fry toast in some egg and top with sugar, berries and honey for French toast – adding cinnamon will make it a little more festive or top your toast with a mix of lemon curd and mascarpone and some berries and you’ll have cheesecake toast. We’re blowing your mind aren’t we?

There are always going to be new ways to eat toast. It’s one of the most versatile foods and whether you’re eating it covered in butter and baked beans or pretending it’s a cheesecake, it’s always guaranteed to put a smile on your face.