Milk Toast

Milk toast is a classic New England breakfast dish made with toasted bread and warm milk and served in a bowl to be enjoyed like cereal. It’s often topped off with a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar for an added treat. Here, I chose to swap the cinnamon sugar with maple syrup, which is stirred into the milk to sweeten it. It’s a slight twist that seems appropriate, given this breakfast is rooted in New England. Of course, you can always add an additional pinch of cinnamon just before taking that first bite, if you like.

Milk toast is an old-fashioned breakfast dish made with bite-sized pieces of buttered toast served in a bowl with warm milk.

Milk toast was one of the original comfort foods, with a history dating back to the 19th century in New England. Back then, it was not only a breakfast option — it was also served when someone wasn’t feeling well. This makes sense, as the simple dish consists of mild foods enjoyed warm in a bowl. Milk toast was once served in the same way we might turn to saltine crackers, ginger ale, or chicken soup today.

Milk toast is made with two breakfast staples: milk and toast. Bread is toasted, buttered, and cut into bite-sized pieces. It is then placed in a bowl and topped with warm milk. Milk toast was the precursor to the breakfast cereals we know and love today.

Bread is the star of the dish when it comes to milk toast. This is a great opportunity to give day-old bread new life. I like to use thick slices of a flavorful, rich bread such as challah or brioche.