The Quickest Way To Toast Bread For An Intensely Satisfying Crunch
Toast is one of those food items that is so incredibly simple and so delicious for what it really is: slices of bread that are nearly burned, but not quite. The beautiful thing about toast is that you can make it from any kind of bread, and you can make it sweet or savory. Homemade sourdough will take on a wonderfully caramelized flavor when it comes into contact with high heat.
Toasting can turn even the most basic of white breads into a tasty treat when topped with preserves or nut butter. Toast is most famous for being the perfect accompaniment to breakfast, but it's equally delicious alongside a soup or stew.
Toast is also a wonderful base for crostini, and it's perfectly tasty by itself with fresh butter. Now that it's been established that toast is awesome, what's a person to do if you're craving toast, but you've just moved into a new home and haven't unpacked your toaster yet? Even more dire: What if you're hosting a brunch and want to have multiple slices of toast come out hot at the same time for all your guests? If you don't have a functional toaster or you're making toast for multiple people, you can make a large amount by using a sheet pan and your oven. But before you start pre-heating it and open the oven door, you'll want to make sure your oven has a broiler.
Turn on the broiler
While it's possible to make toast in the regular oven at a high temperature, you run the risk of drying out the bread. The best way to toast bread is on high heat for a short while. The closer the heat source is to the bread the quicker it will toast. Enter the broiler, the unsung hero of your range.
Toast isn't meant to just be dried, nearly burned bread. It's meant to still retain a bit of its lovely, soft, chewy consistency on the inside, while still being crisp and slightly charred on the outside. The best way to achieve the desired result when using your oven is to put the toast under the broiler.
Turn the broiler on and allow it time to pre-heat. Then, place the slices of bread on a baking sheet. Place the sheet on the rack nearest to the broiler and broil the bread for just two minutes. Once the top of the bread looks perfectly toasted, check the underside of the bread. If it's not brown, flip the slices over and broil for another two minutes.
Some considerations to make when toasting bread
While it's most common to add fats, such as butter, ghee, or olive oil, to your toast on the plate, you might find yourself in a position where you want to butter toast before you put it under the broiler. If you do, use fats that will hold up well with high heat and won't burn. Olive oil has a lower smoke point than butter, so be specific with any fats you might add to toast before popping it under the broiler.
As for sweet toppings, such as jams, jellies, Nutella, or other nut butters, don't bring those anywhere near the broiler. Jams and jellies will burn when in contact with the high heat. And by the time the jam or jelly has cooled enough that you won't scald your mouth or tongue, your toast will be cold. Save yourself the stress and add sweet toppings to your toast as soon as it comes out of the oven, but no sooner.
If you decide to make toast using the broiler, your best bet is to use plain slices of bread on an ungreased baking sheet. Keep it simple, and you might have such success that you decide to put your toaster into storage.