The Best Cinnamon Toast Recipe
A simple syrup of brown sugar, cinnamon and vanilla helps boost the flavor of this classic breakfast fare into something truly special. I opted for the more deep, caramel flavor of brown sugar, rather than granulated … and I add a touch of sparkly turbinado sugar to create an extra crunch on top – but that’s optional. My biggest tip to you here, is to ensure that you wipe down the skillet in between batches of toast, as the residual sugars will continue to cook (i.e. burn). So, just be careful to avoid that and you’ll be on your road to the best cinnamon toast experience of your life.
- Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups brown sugar, divided (light or dark)
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon, divided
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 4 slices of your favorite simple white or wheat bread, however thick you like
- Salted butter for spreading and cooking (I typically use about 4 TBSP, give or take)
- Turbinado sugar for sprinkling (optional – you can use granulated)
Instructions
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine ½ cup of the brown sugar with ½ cup of water and 1/2 teaspoon of the cinnamon. Bring to a gentle boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar, and then turn off the heat. Add the vanilla; stir.Â
- In a medium bowl or plate, combine the remaining ¾ cup brown sugar, the remaining 1.5 teaspoons of cinnamon and the turbinado sugar, stirring to mix evenly. Adjust these ingredients to suit your preferences (I often add more cinnamon because I live for it).
- Â We’re going to pre-toast our bread now. Add 2 tablespoons of salted butter (give or take) to a large skillet set over medium heat, and allow it to just melt. Add the bread slices to the pan, working in batches as needed, and toast on both sides until light golden brown and well, toasty.
- Transfer the toast to a sheet pan and brush one side of each piece of bread liberally with the sweet cinnamon-vanilla syrup, ensuring that you get the whole surface area nice and soaked. Sprinkle the soaked sides of each slice with the brown sugar-cinnamon mixture, ensuring that you get a generous crust. Sprinkle each slice with a little turbinado sugar, if desired (you could use granulated, but turbinado is best for max crunch)
- Add about 2 more tablespoons of butter to the same pan and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cinnamon-sugar sides facing down, toast the bread slices just until the sugars caramelize and begin to brown nicely; about 20 to 30 seconds (this goes fast). We’re just toasting that one side this time, so once you’ve got it cooked to your liking, transfer the toast slices to a platter or to serving plates. Repeat with any remaining slices, making sure to WIPE DOWN THE SKILLET, in between batches to avoid burning the sugars. Enjoy warm.
Notes
These toast slices will hold pretty well, if you want to wait a little before serving them. I just keep them on a sheet pan and crisp them back up in a warm oven.Â