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Sleepy Morning Question: How Do You Like Your Toast?

2009_01_23-Toast.jpgWhite, wheat, or rye? Plain, buttered, or with jam? Morning, noon, or night? Oh, the variations are endless! But the question is: which one do you like the very best?

 
 

We're big toast eaters in our house, especially since we started making homemade bread on a regular basis. The very first day, we like the bread by itself, untoasted and plain. Maybe a smear of jam. But after that, it's all about the toast!

We have a routine with our toaster to make our version of perfect toast: one round with the toaster set on maximum setting, flip the toast, then another round on the lightest setting. This gives our toast a crispy crust (which we eat first) and a golden interior. This routine is so well-established that we'll be lost when this toaster finally breaks down!

For toppings, we just like just enough regular butter so that you get a taste of it in every bite. Lately we've also been adding a sprinkling of sea salt, which feels like such decadence!

What about you?

Related: How to Clean the Toaster

(Image: Flickr member penguincakes licensed under Creative Commons)

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Silly, Breakfast Products, Ingredients - Pantry, bread, toaster, toast

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Comments (46)

cold, with soft but solid butter. But the toast has to cool in the toast rack, so it gets (and stays) crispy. If it cools on the plate, it gets soft from condensation. I hate toast at diners because it's all soggy and the butter is runny.

posted by lizaboo on January 23rd 2009 at 9:20am
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Whatever bread I have around, which is usually multigrain or whole grain these days, toasted with butter and jam.

posted by Melissa A. on January 23rd 2009 at 9:49am
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Millet! Usually with jam, but sometimes I'll do butter then jam. Or cream cheese (on the rare occasions we have it) then jam.

posted by Kalinda on January 23rd 2009 at 9:50am
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Thick sliced, toasted on a cast iron skillet with a little butter, then topped with salty butter the second it comes off. Jam or Dipped into a nice cup of mexican hot chocolate

posted by Benny's Dad on January 23rd 2009 at 9:57am
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! Please, please explain how to toast on a skillet! Darn it, B's Dad, now I'm craving Mx hot chocolate. Popular, to be precise.

I don't eat much toast, but once in a while I get a loaf of Pepperidge Farm whole grain cinnamon swirl bread. Spread with a very little bit of butter and a little cinnamon & sugar. Eat with coffee or cocoa.

posted by whytephoenix on January 23rd 2009 at 10:16am
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Beyond whole wheat, like Ezekiel bread. Hot, with butter and honeycomb.

posted by Joan A. on January 23rd 2009 at 10:22am
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Any which way I can get it! My most favourite is egg challah bread with butter. I'm also a bit proponent of honey and cream cheese on basic whole wheat.

posted by kaitlin on January 23rd 2009 at 10:23am
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I like it lightly toasted and topped with a mixture of cream cheese, a little honey, and a banana - some days I like the mixture choppy, other days I throw it in the mini-blender for a smoother texture (and sometimes just dip strips of toast in it). It's like a little gourmet breakfast treat - that takes about three minutes.

posted by TheGoodBiGirl on January 23rd 2009 at 10:25am
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Heat up a skillet on medium heat, take a bit of butter (softened works better) and spread it on both sides of the bread. Place it on the skillet and flip it once it is about as toasted as you want. Same goes for the other side. The medium toast helps it reach that golden perfection without burning it. I grew up in a house that didn't have a toaster for a really long time so that is just the way I am used to eating it.

posted by Benny's Dad on January 23rd 2009 at 10:36am
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Morning: whole wheat, medium-well, cooled on a rack (must avoid the toast sweat!) with peanut butter and a bit of orange marmelade.

Afternoon/evening snack: rye, medium, with sharp cheddar melted on top (we've got a toaster oven), served warm.

posted by Michelle of Montreal on January 23rd 2009 at 10:39am
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Rye.
Butter AND Jam.
Any time of day. In fact, I want some right now.

posted by Stevie K on January 23rd 2009 at 10:40am
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I love toast pretty much any way it comes but possibly the most original is with butter and a sprinkle of oregano...yum!

posted by eurochiclette on January 23rd 2009 at 10:44am
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Real pumpernickel bread toasted with a thin spreading of cream cheese or farmers cheese, some Russ and Daughters smoked salmon, slivers of red onion, and some slices of a red juicy tomato.

posted by charmedbynancy on January 23rd 2009 at 10:49am
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Ohhh I LOVE toast! It makes my morning! I have three variations-- butter, nutella or melted cheese. MMMMMM! I think toast would be one of my desert island foods...

posted by aleec on January 23rd 2009 at 10:54am
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Lately it's sourdough, lightly toasted, with salted butter and thin-sliced radishes.

posted by cmcinnyc on January 23rd 2009 at 10:56am
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Dark rye with margarine.

Or ancient grains, with salty butter and slices of banana (and then you all moosh the slices with the butter knife so the slices don't fall everywhere when you take a bite).

Toasts are serious business.

posted by Marie-Eve on January 23rd 2009 at 10:56am
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i just found this new apple pomegranate bread, it's delicious with just a little butter.

if i am out of that I usually like a whole wheat slice with peanut butter and honey or bananas

posted by wwoolsey on January 23rd 2009 at 11:02am
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mmm, im all about multigrain with peanut butter and honey. english muffins and bagels are in the same boat, only they get cream cheese and a bit of jam on top.

posted by deeboyayay on January 23rd 2009 at 11:18am
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I'm with lizaboo!! Finally, another crisp toast lover!

I'll add that my favourite topping is fine AOC Beurre d'Isigny (unsalted), topped with Staud of Vienna's Blood Orange with Rum Punch preserves.... mmm!

posted by mschatelaine on January 23rd 2009 at 11:21am
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my new favorite is toast from this bread...
http://good-life-eats.blogspot.com/2009/01/mama-makes-hot-buns.html

Toast to the 3rd level in my toaster oven and then topped with butter and jam. I love orange marmalade, blackberry, and raspberry the best. Eat ASAP.

posted by goodLife{eats} on January 23rd 2009 at 11:31am
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Here in Spain one of the most common breakfasts is toast generously drizzled with olive oil then sprinkled with coarse-grain salt. Mmmmm.

posted by 4thgradeLiz on January 23rd 2009 at 11:51am
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I love toast and will eat it any time. Our local co-op has a great bakery and they make wonderful loaf breads - sunflower seed, oatmeal, and my favorite, a yeasted cornmeal. This bread is perfect with just about everything: butter, honey, apricot jam, tomato soup...

posted by mel.d on January 23rd 2009 at 11:52am
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Any bread but white bread.

A light dusting of powdered sugar before toasting makes the toasted surface extra crisp while the middle stays soft. Spread with softened unsalted butter and add a shake of good cinnamon. (Even when using spreads and factoring in condensation, the top stays crisp.)

For the kids, emboss a happy face before toasting, or slice the toast into strips to dunk into assorted spreads/syrups/honey. Their pleasure is worth a little sticky mess.

Ah, toast.

posted by Splomo on January 23rd 2009 at 11:58am
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"Medium rare" wheat with butter and some kind of jam/jelly/preserve. I'm partial to rindy marmalade, raspberry preserves, or strawberry jam. Or just sugar and cinnamon. God, I'm such a kid.

posted by OneWallKitchen on January 23rd 2009 at 12:03pm
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1) From the toaster - still warm and not yet crispy with melted margarine (I prefer marg. to butter for toast) and strawberry or blackberry jam. A nice sprinkle of salt sounds tasty. will try as soon as I get home.

2)Pan fried with an insane amout of butter/marg. so, so tasty.

3) Lightly toasted, smeared with peanut butter then placed back in the toaster oven to melt peanut butter.

I hate cold, crispy toast. Toast, for me, must be warm, slightly crispy on the outside and steamy warm on the inside.

posted by chusmabilly on January 23rd 2009 at 12:11pm
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Ezekiel sesame bread makes the best toast! Medium to dark toast, smeared with almond butter and a bit of honey. Two slices with some french press coffee-- there's nothing better!

posted by Amandica on January 23rd 2009 at 12:16pm
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Mmmmm, toast.

The one carb that is hard to walk away from (well, that, and chocolate chip cookies).

Whole grain, lightly toasted, thick layer of peanut butter.

I now realize that, growing up, toasting the white bread was one of the ways Mom kept us interested in food while stretching the dollar. We even had peanut butter and jelly on toast, which my sister and I came up with a name for that is too embarrassing to post. There was even a song. A SONG.

The toast trend apparently stuck... in my High School yearbook, under favorite foods, I listed "Anything on toast."

Craaaaaaap. Now I am STARVING. :)

posted by patrick (the other one) on January 23rd 2009 at 12:17pm
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Homemade sourdough with homemade lavender/rosemary/sage cultured butter, local raw honey, and dusted with cinnamon. We have this for "toast and tea" after dinner every night. MAGIC.

posted by lauraw on January 23rd 2009 at 1:05pm
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Cinnamon/raisin with cream cheese...lite when I'm feeling righteous, full-fat when I just don't give a flip.

posted by 39520expat on January 23rd 2009 at 1:16pm
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liverwurst on rye toast 'nuf said.

posted by liverwurstontoast on January 23rd 2009 at 1:18pm
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Sourdough toast with butter and peanut butter -- my ultimate comfort food. It makes me feel like an 8-year-old (in a good way). If it were my last day on Death Row, this would be my breakfast, along with a glass of cold milk.

posted by HandyC on January 23rd 2009 at 1:42pm
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Option1: Wheat toasted with peanut butter and sliced banana for breakfast.
Option2: Rosemary-olive oil toasted with margarine or cream cheese. When the loaf is really fresh the toasting really brings out the rosemary flavor.
Mmmmm. If only I worked from home. I'd already be half-way to the kitchen.

posted by carab on January 23rd 2009 at 1:48pm
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Peanut butter and jelly on wheat.
Peanut butter, bananas and honey on wheat.
Nutella on thick white.
Goat cheese and strawberries on wheat.

Bruschetta means toast for lunch or dinner, right? Focaccia or sourdough with tomatoes, basil and feta.

posted by highsociety on January 23rd 2009 at 3:21pm
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Also, a college roommate used to eat toast with butter and coarse sugar for dessert (growing up, her mom was always on a diet, so they had to get creative for treats). Yummy!

posted by highsociety on January 23rd 2009 at 3:22pm
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At home it is whole wheat or ww english muffin w/either butter and jam/marmalade or pb, banana and honey drizzled on top. At restaurants however, since I never have it at home, it is always Rye. However, any time is a good time for any type of toasted bread with a savory or sweet condiment.

posted by rosebud on January 23rd 2009 at 3:23pm
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really crisp, with lots of butter. for breakfast and tea I prefer a sweet bread--like raison or cinnamon or the chocolate cherry loaf from whole foods that I just finished off. I love panettone toasted around the holidays.

I use salted butter so the salt in the butter offsets the sweet in the bread. I haven't tried sea salt on top, but I might need to.

posted by lcg on January 23rd 2009 at 8:17pm
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Day old challah toast with salted butter. Or thick-cut farm bread (dense and white), toasted with butter and anchovy paste (Peck's anchovette from the UK). You'll love it once you try it.

posted by LGE on January 24th 2009 at 3:50am
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one of 2 ways:
#1 on chip thin white bread at a diner, pre-buttered and kind of soggy (gross?) with raspberry jam (from the little packets of course!)

#2 Country bread thickly sliced, toasted lightly with a little butter and some orange honey I just bought... eaten HOT and IMMEDIATELY! YUM.

posted by jrstar45 on January 24th 2009 at 9:37am
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Miss Mary's toast. (From childhood.)
Whiiiiite bread toasted, then smeared with butter, then baked for 10 minutes at 325. Man. It doesn't get better than that.

posted by theskyisfalling on January 24th 2009 at 8:54pm
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Ooooh, toast is my favorite. Sourdough toast, medium rare. Topped with unsalted butter or earth balance actually, and truffle salt!

posted by Amymj on January 26th 2009 at 3:11pm
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french!

posted by foodefafa on January 26th 2009 at 4:10pm
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mmm. any time.

hot as possible straight out of the toaster with butter.

with peanut butter and honey

with cream cheese and honey

OH and with very light mayo and tomato... mmm damn.

posted by talkingcrow on January 26th 2009 at 11:48pm
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truffle salt! hawaiian salt! omg. it's endless.

sourdough.

anything fresh.

Can you tell I'm just having a moment?

posted by talkingcrow on January 26th 2009 at 11:49pm
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I like my toast gluten free! Honestly, I don't eat much toast, since I'm on a gluten free (GF) diet. When I do buy or make GF bread, I like my toast with butter, and maybe a little honey - especially if it's toasted GF banana bread!! :)

posted by leonad on January 28th 2009 at 11:13pm
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toast with a little bit of butter, condensed milk spread on top.

a cup of hot tea on the side! :]
So good!

posted by ethung on January 31st 2009 at 2:41pm
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Wheat, lightly toasted (no burn marks please!), warm and with melted butter. Preferably in the morning with some eggs over easy.

posted by confusednazgul on February 1st 2009 at 4:01am
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