Carla Hall Started a Fiery Toast Debate On Instagram, and Our Test Kitchen Weighed In

Toast: With its enticing crunch and ability to stand up to a wide array of toppings—from egg yolks and butter to mayo, mustard, jam, and beyond—it’s literally the best thing since sliced bread.

With that, the definition of the “best” toast seems to be up for debate. A recent Instagram post (a toast post, if you will) from celebrity chef, cookbook author, and BHG BFF Carla Hall proves it’s a heated debate.

After ordering off a restaurant’s breakfast menu and asking for what appears to be a spread of bacon, sausage, eggs, and toast, Hall was surprised by the slices she received.

“Is this toast toasting? 🤔🧐 When I ordered it, I envisioned the TOAST would be the perfect, crunchy consistency one desires to pair beautifully with my runny-ish eggs,” Hall wrote in the caption. “And then this appeared and it was surprisingly more ‘barely heated up bread’ and less ‘perfectly toasted toast.’ Thoughts? Is this even toast at all?”

She paired a photo of her diner scene with a collage that included four levels of “doneness” for toast. She then asked: “Share thoughts on what makes the perfect toast in your world of breakfast. I know people have PREFERENCES here. 🤣

The debate in the comments proved that sentiment to be true. While the majority of commenters believed that a medium, light brown level of toasting is ideal, answers varied widely, ranging from just-barely-golden to approaching-black.

The most common refrain on Hall's diner dish? “That’s not toast that’s bread 🍞😐.” Others spread on some humor and added, “It may aspire to be toast, but someone stopped that dream in its tracks,” and pointed out that the bread “looks like it needs some time in the sun.”

So what qualifies as toast? According to one user, you “must see some brown crusting on it, and [the bread should] have a crunch!” Here's what an expert has to say about the important distinction.

What is Toast, Exactly?

“An amazing bit of science is happening when you toast bread, and it happens to be one of my favorite things called the ‘Maillard reaction,’” says Sarah Brekke, M.S., Better Homes & Gardens Test Kitchen brand manager. “When subjected to the proper heat, time, and moisture conditions, the sugars and proteins in a food can react with each other to create a wide range of compounds that result in new aromas, flavors, and colors on the surface.” 

Without the Maillard (pronounced my-ard) reaction, steaks wouldn’t brown on the grill, potatoes wouldn’t turn nearly as golden when fried, and bread wouldn’t toast the same way when subjected to heat.

As for what separates regular bread from toast, it’s at least some hint of that Maillard magic, Brekke argues. There’s a large sliding scale that defines the “best” toast, though.

“Toast doneness is a deeply personal question because some people love bread that has been toasted to a light blonde doneness while others desire a deeper brown, with almost burnt on the edges slice of toast,” she says. 

How to Make Toast

Depending on how much toast you’re making, you have several options for how to go about it.

• 1-2 servings: A standard countertop toaster. “You can pop the bread in and carry on with your other tasks without much fear of something burning,” Brekke says. Use the adjustable temperature control settings to dial things in to score your perfect golden hue.
• 3-4 servings: A toaster oven. “Toaster ovens require a little more babysitting than the traditional set-it-and-forget-it toaster,” Brekke says. “Start off with a temperature around 400°F, and check your toast every 30 seconds or so.” Depending on your model of toaster oven, you may want to flip the bread halfway through to promote even cooking on both sides. (If you don’t own a toaster oven, no sweat! Just do a few shifts of slices in your traditional toaster.)
• For a crowd: The oven. For the quickest method, use the broiler. Preheat your oven and arrange your slices of bread on a baking sheet. Position the baking sheet on the second from the top rack and watch it closely. After 1 to 1 ½ minutes, the bread will likely need to be flipped. After 1 or 2 minutes more, it will be ready to devour. Or take a slightly slower and safer route: Set your oven to 350°F, and follow the same method, just cooking for 8 to 10 minutes (flipping halfway through).

“One of the biggest drawbacks of the oven method is that the toast often cooks more unevenly due to the position of the heating element in the top of the oven," Brekke says. Don’t be afraid to shift and rotate the pan around in the oven during the cooking process."

5 Insider Tips For How to Make Better Toast

Now you know the logistics behind this hot topic and have had a moment to pinpoint your preferred doneness level. We couldn’t drop all of those bread crumbs, though, without sharing a handful of tricks for how to upgrade your toast game. 

To make better toast:

• Start with high-quality bread. Types of bread that naturally have more fat and sugar, such as challah and brioche, toast faster than classic whole-grain loaves. Regardless of whether you choose a slice of classic sourdough or from an enriched loaf, seek out the best bread you can find and fit in your food budget. 
• Don’t be afraid of some age. All of that bread doesn’t need to be used immediately, however. “Use up that day-old homemade bread or stale loaf of sandwich slices by making toast," Brekke says. "The heat will help to revive it and give it some life again."
• Add fat. According to Brekke, this aids in both the toasting process and flavor development.
• Infuse even more flavor during the cooking process. If you’d like to think outside the box, consider tossing that fat-prepared bread onto the grill. “Give it about 2 to 3 minutes per side, and you’ll end up with some nicely toasted bread with a hint of smoky flavor,” Brekke says.
• Try a new topping or two. Butter is far from your only option. Brekke reminds us that “the possibilities are endless!” Consider this the start of toast toppings bucket list that you can add to as new ideas come to mind:
• Avocado (sliced or mashed)
• Cinnamon-sugar
• Nutella
• Banana (sliced or mashed)
• Peanut butter and jelly
• Greek yogurt and berries
• Goat cheese and preserves
• Hummus
• Cream cheese and hot pepper jelly
• Hot honey
• Baked beans and crumbled crispy bacon
• Cottage cheese (whipped or regular)