Honey Butter Toast
One of my favorite desserts of all time. If I see it on a menu, it's almost always my go-to order. I love the way it layers sweetness (sugar, honey, various creams) and fat (butter, whipped cream, ice cream). It's delightfully crisp on the outside, warm and luscious on the inside. I had a version of this at A Buttercup Dessert Cafe and was amazed at the flavor; I'm pleased that I was able to replicate that quite well. You can top it with whatever you please -- popular treats include fruit (strawberries, berries, brulee banana, etc), chocolate, ice cream, whipped cream, honey, various syrups, nuts, pocky, etc. I happened to have a bunch of different types of specialty honey, and this was a great opportunity to use it. Apparently, this is also known as "Shibuya Toast", based on the fact that it originated in Shibuya. This recipe is enough for 4, adjust the ingredient amounts accordingly.
Active Time: 25 min
Total Time: 25 min
Ingredients
> milk bread (~4 slices)
> butter (1 stick, melted)
> brown sugar (110g)
> honey (55g)
> salt (pinch)
> toppings of your choice!
Instructions
1. Preheat your oven to 350 F.
2. Cut the milk bread into relatively thick slices; about 2 inches each. Cut off the crusts from each side.
3. Prepare the honey butter mixture by mixing melted butter, brown sugar, honey, and salt and mixing until a smooth paste forms.
4. Spread the honey butter over the bread slices on all sides (including the short sides)
5. Place in a tray lined with parchment paper and bake in the oven for 8 minutes. Flip the toast, then bake for another 8 minutes. Remove from the oven, and let cool on a cooling rack for 10m.
6. Serve with your toppings of choice -- my favorites are strawberries / bruleed banana, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and more honey. The world is your oyster. Enjoy!
Notes/Tips:
> Since you want relatively thick slices for this application, you'll probably want to buy unsliced milk bread (instead of the pre-sliced ones, which will typically be a bit thinner)
> If you don't have access to milk bread, you could consider using brioche, but it probably won't be quite as good.
> You could also consider using brown butter instead of straight melted butter if you want a bit more of a nutty flavor; I haven't tried it myself but the brown butter toast at A Buttercup Dessert House is pretty good.
> If you're serving with ice cream or whipped cream, consider chilling the plate beforehand, so that it doesn't melt quite as quickly.