Alan Davidson

Toast

Appears in
Oxford Companion to Food
Oxford Companion to Food

By Alan Davidson

Published 2014

  • About

toast as everyone in Britain knows, is made by placing a slice of bread in front of dry heat until the surface browns and gives off an attractive smell from the thermal decomposition of sugar and starch molecules on the surface.

The true addict is fussy about its preparation, choosing day-old baker’s bread, and insisting it is eaten as soon as ready. It is the smell, and the sensations of the hot crunchy outside of the bread combined with the soft inner crumb and melted butter, that make it so appealing.