Cinnamon toast is the best breakfast food out there, period.
I love things with sugar and cinnamon in all its forms, but I especially love the comfort and warmth of cinnamon toast. A soft yet crisp toast spread with buttered cinnamon sugar fills a deep void in my soul. Everything feels good every time I eat cinnamon toast, no matter what. There's something about the cinnamon, the butter, the sugar, and the contrast between the toast's golden exterior and the soft, fluffy interior.
I love the magic of toasting bread. I feel like toast is on a whole different level than plain bread. I almost feel bad for the bread and the lack of crispy edges. When I see loaves of bread, I always think: "I'm going to drink to you and you will be much more than you are." Toasting is to bread what going to the gym is to people. They/you go to the toaster/gym: pale, fluffy and a little doughy. They emerge: full-bodied, golden, toned and firm. Everyone wins! Ultimate Delight. And of course, it's the toasty version of hot girl summer!
how to make cinnamon toast
There are so many ways to make cinnamon toast that it's almost like I could write a dissertation on it. There is choice of bread, then cinnamon to sugar, method, so many options! The four most common forms are:
I've done it all four ways and #4 is my preferred way.
My standard method was always #1, but then I had cinnamon toast at Trouble Coffee in San Fransisco. Cue new obsession with how to make better cinnamon toast. I did a deep dip and we did side by side taste tests and my ultimate version is: Cinnamon sugar butter on bread, in a hot skillet on the stove until the butter, cinnamon and sugar caramelize, then a quick spin for light toasting On the other hand. The sugar is crunchy and cinnamon and the bread is crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. SO GOOD. The truth is though, cinnamon toast is good no matter how it's made, right?
What is the best way to make cinnamon toast?
All toast is good toast, but we went ahead and did a double-blind toast taste test because I love supporting competitions. The cooking method winner, in order of first to last place was:
Actually, we should have made a matrix of tests with the different methods of application of cinnamon and sugar and different types of bread, but when we ate all the slices, we were all toast for the day. We'll have to rigorously test again another day! Let me know in the comments if we should update this post.
Cinnamon sugar butter
For me, cinnamon toast needs cinnamon sugar butter. When you sprinkle cinnamon sugar on buttered toast, the cinnamon sugar stays on the surface. Clearly, cinnamon sugar butter is superior because the butter helps the cinnamon sugar seep into every nook and cranny of the bread. Making cinnamon sugar butter is as simple as mixing room temperature butter with cinnamon and sugar, in a 4:4:1 ratio: 4 parts butter, 4 parts sugar, 1 part cinnamon sugar. In regular tablespoons, that's 2 tablespoons of butter, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and 1/2 tablespoon of cinnamon.
Once you have your cinnamon sugar butter, all you need to do is spread it edge to edge on your bread of choice (I like shokupan, brioche, or challah) and then go ahead and toast it.
Toasted Cinnamon Toast
This was the toast with a caramelized cinnamon top and a perfect texture contrast between the crunchy exterior and the moist, fluffy interior.
To toast bread: Place in a cold nonstick skillet and raise the heat to medium. Toast until sugar melts and caramelizes, about 2-3 minutes. Flip and lightly toast the other side of the bread.
Toaster Oven Cinnamon Toast
It was moist and fluffy on the inside and light and crispy on the outside.
To use a toaster oven: Place the cinnamon-sugar coated bread in a toaster oven and toast to desired doneness, or until the top of the toast is bubbly and caramelized.
baked toast
This is a bit drier toast, because it spends a lot of time in the oven, perfect for those who hate soggy bread.
To bake in the oven: Heat oven to 350°F. Place the toast on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, then broil for 1 minute until golden brown.
air fryer toast
A moist and somewhat dense roast, good for people who like more pastries.
To air fry: Preheat air fryer to 400°F. Air fry toast for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.
The best butter for cinnamon toast
When there are only four ingredients for your cinnamon toast, you better believe all the ingredients are important. Go get some good butter. Unsalted or salty depends on preference. I prefer unsalted so I can add a little flake salt on top of the toast if I fancy a burst of contrast. Kerrygold is a solid butter with a slightly higher fat content than regular butter (82% butterfat).
My all-time favorite butter is from Iceland, it's called Smjör, and it's seriously the most amazing butter I've ever tasted (even though it's only 80% butterfat). The milk used for Smjör comes from special grass-fed Icelandic cows. It's really amazing, so much so that I brought some home with me after our trip to Iceland.
What kind of cinnamon for cinnamon toast?
Not all cinnamons are the same. There are two types of ground cinnamon in the world: Ceylon and cassia. And from there, there are different subtypes. Both are from the bark of trees, but the way the bark is harvested and the flavor are very different. The most common is cassia cinnamon and that is the one you probably know and love. It's the one I really love. There are three subtypes of cassia: Indonesian, Chinese, and Vietnamese/Saigon. Of these three, I love Vietnamese cinnamon because it is intensely fragrant and flavorful.
Ceylon cinnamon is what people call "true cinnamon" and it's not that common in regular grocery stores. It is also much softer, more delicate and subtle. Not the kind of thing you're going to want to use on your supermarket bread for cinnamon toast, but if you're looking for the BEST cinnamon experience, look it up. You can easily find it online.
Phew. It's clear that I really love cinnamon toast. If you made it this far, cinnamon hugs!
lol steph
Bonus: I also wanted to mention the NYT viral way: melt butter in a pan, add the bread, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, flip, and sprinkle with more cinnamon sugar. This is also an amazing method!
cinnamon toast
Cinnamon toast is the best breakfast food out there, period.
Serves 1
Preparation time 1 minute
Cook time 5 minutes
Total time 6 minutes
- 2 tablespoons butter at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon of cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract optional
- 2 slices of bread
Nutrition Facts
cinnamon toast
Amount per proportion
Calories 248 calories from fat 110
%Daily value*
fat 12,2g19%
Saturated Fat 7.4g46%
Cholesterol 31 mg10%
Sodium 125 mg5%
Potassium 36mg1%
carbohydrates 35,9g12%
Fiber 2.2g9%
Sugar 24,9g28%
protein 1,6 g3%
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
