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04/04/2013
~ Easy Toaster-Oven Parm 'n Pepper Texas Toast ~
Here I go again! Another recipe that was not on my short list (or any list) of recipes to post, has floated to the top of my pile and it is with a broad smile that I am sharing it with you today. I am always willing to share any recipe I have when someone asks for it, especially since every one of my recipes, no matter how simple or difficult, are more than tasty and thoroughly tested. I am, however, quickly learning that just because I decide to conveniently pass a recipe off in my mind as "not blog worthy", usually because I don't think it is interesting enough, it does not mean it is not blog worthy. I've learned my lesson. I promise to quit doing that!
It was Texas toast and thanks for asking!!!
Q. Cara says and asks: Melanie, yesterday I read your recipe for ~ Smokey 'n Sweet Cream of Roasted Tomato Soup ~. It sounds heavenly and I plan to make it on Sunday. Would you please tell me what kind of bread you served it with. It looked like garlic bread, but you made no mention of it in the recipe. I also want to tell you I made your boneless lamb roast and cheddar smashed potatoes for Easter and it was the best lamb I ever served!
A. Kitchen Encounters: Cara, you made my day. The bread I served with my tomato soup yesterday was Texas toast, or, my super-easy version of Texas toast. It is almost not a recipe at all, but, I'm happy to share it with you. If you have children, they are going to love you for it!
Texas toast? What exactly is that?
Texas toast is basically white sandwich bread that has been sliced double in thickness. Here in Pennsylvania, Holsum is the brand that is most readily available. Sometimes it is just marketed as thick-sliced white bread.
Typically, Texas toast is made by buttering both sides of the bread and broiling it until it is golden. Sometimes garlic powder is sprinkled on, and, on occasion, one side of the toast is topped with some type of cheese. The finished product, is crispy on the outside and soft and tender on the inside, closer to that of garlic bread, rather than its crunchier Italian cousins: crostini or bruschetta.
As the story goes, Texas toast was invented at The Pig Stand restaurant in Beaumont, Texas in 1941. A special bakery order for thicker slices of bread resulted in them not fitting into the restaurant toasters. As a quick solution to the problem, a line cook started buttering and grilling the bread slices, and, the rest is another delicious piece of culinary history!
That being said, I prefer using a firmer-textured bread to make Texas toast, and, my favorite is a French batard, which is nothing more than a shorter, plumper, slightly softer version of a baguette!
I simplified the process by buttering only one side of the bread and started making it in the toaster oven to serve to my three boys as a super-quick snack, or, a side to mac and cheese or my tomato soup!
Place:
4-6-8, etc., 3/4"-thick slices bread
on a toaster-oven sized disposable aluminum broiler pan w/corrugated bottom.
Note: My toaster ovens will only hold 8 1/2" x 11"-sized pans.
Top each bread slice with:
2 thin pats salted butter
a generous sprinkling of finely-grated Parmesan or Parmigiano- Reggiano cheese
a generous grinding of black pepper or peppercorn blend
Note: Other options are a sprinkling of garlic powder and/or red pepper flakes (if you want them spicy).
Place in toaster oven. I don't broil my Texas toast. I select "toast" and continue to toast, until bread is golden brown around the edges and the cheese is bubbling and golden on the top. In my toaster oven, this takes 5 1/2 minutes. Rest 5 minutes prior to serving warm:
Easy Toaster-Oven Parm 'n Pepper Texas Toast: Recipe yields instructions to make as many slices of Texas toast as you want. Depending upon how and what you are serving these with, plan on 2-3 slices per person. Nobody can eat just one!
Special Equipment List: cutting board; serrated bread knife; appropriately-sized disposable aluminum broiler pan w/corrugated bottom; microplane grater
Cook's Note: For another wonderful snack bread to serve with soup, a cheese dip or a cheese spread, you might want to try ~ My Buttery Parm, Pepper & Parsley Bagel Chips ~. The recipe can be found in Categories 1, 2, 4, 9, or 20!
"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti
(Recipe, Commentary and Photos courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyright 2013)
Comments
Thanks Dean -- you should post a link to my recipe(s) on your site!
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Thanks Dean -- you should post a link to my recipe(s) on your site!
Posted by: Kitchen Encounters | 09/07/2015 at 06:06 PM
Omg, your breads are great. So crispy!
Check this site and read which toaster is ideal for baking breed
Posted by: dean | 09/07/2015 at 05:45 PM