Milk toast is an old fashioned breakfast dish that is so easy to make! I love having bread soaked in milk. This recipe uses toasted cinnamon sugar brioche bread.
What is milk toast recipe?
Did you ever eat bread soaked in milk growing up? I don't know if this is a thing, or if it was just our family.
But as kids, when we wanted a quick breakfast or snack, we simply tore up sandwich bread ate them soaked with milk. Often times, I'd top my bowl of milk toast with a spoonful of sugar on top too.
It was a very simple (and cheap) dish I learned to make when I was very little. But I loved how the soggy bread melted with every bite, and the little crunch of sugar that came at the end.
Then, I'd gulp down every last bit of the sweet milk.
Classic bread and milk from my childhood: Tear up a slice of white wonder bread and toss the pieces into a bowl. Pour on enough milk to cover it all. Sprinkle on a spoonful of granulated white sugar.
Is that something you've had before? I've asked my friends, but non have the same memories.
For this recipe, I took that old simple idea of bread and milk, and jazzed it up a little.
If you love old fashioned breakfast recipes like this one, The Breakfast Book is one of my absolute favorite cookbooks. It's filled with an array of comforting breakfast recipes that you'll want to make over and over again.
How to make (fancy) bread and milk
Don't get me wrong. I love the classic bread and milk from my childhood. But I wanted to turn it into a milk toast recipe that is just a bit fancier and brunch table ready.
To do that, I experimented with:
- The type of bread to use
- Toasting or grilling the bread
- Adding cinnamon sugar on top
Best bread for milk toast
I tried a number of different breads for this classic recipe. Here are my thoughts:
- White sandwich bread: Good, soggy. This will always be a classic when untoasted.
- Wheat sandwich bread: Not recommended.
- Sourdough bread: Not recommended. The crust never softened enough, the bread broke apart instead of getting pillowy and soft, and I didn't like the taste.
- Challah: Soaked up just the right amount of milk. This is my second choice.
- Brioche: Soft, sweet and almost custard like when it soaked in the milk. Perfect!
The best bread for milk toast: Brioche bread.
Grill the bread in a bit of butter
While the classic recipe from my childhood just requires soaking plain sandwich bread in milk, I find that grilling the bread in a bit of butter gives it a delicious richness.
To do so, I melt a bit of butter in a frying pan, then simply grill and toast the bread in it until the slices are slightly golden on both sides.
I toast the bread slices whole (instead of cutting it into cubes then toasting), because once toasted and cut into cubes, having 2 sides of each bread cube toasted gives this milk toast just enough texture.
Add cinnamon sugar on top
While the bread is still hot, I sprinkle on a mixture of cinnamon sugar. The sweet smell of toasted bread with cinnamon sugar is so comforting!
But if you don't like cinnamon, you can keep it plain with just granulated sugar. Or a touch of nutmeg is also good.
Once the cinnamon sugar is sprinkled on top, then cut the bread slices into cubes.
Warm or cold milk?
I prefer my milk toast with cold milk. I think the warm pieces of the brioche bread takes off just enough of the cold edge from the milk.
How to serve bread and milk
The way I serve bread and milk in these pictures is to pile all the toasted bread cubes into a bowl, then pour on cold milk.
Another way to enjoy this breakfast is to dip the warm bread in warm milk piece by piece as you eat it.
Personally, I like to soak the bread in the milk so it softens and pillows. If you find that too soggy, then by all means, enjoy this breakfast as bread dipped in milk.
Either way, I think you'll love this comforting milk toast recipe. It's such a simple breakfast that is oh so comforting.
Make this milk toast recipe for a quick breakfast
I hope you think of this milk toast recipe anytime you are looking for a quick breakfast. It shouldn't take more than 5 minutes to throw this recipe together so it's great for weekday mornings.
If you ever find yourself wondering how to use up milk or leftover bread, I hope this recipe comes to mind too.
Enjoy!
P.S. If you love the idea of cinnamon toast in milk, don't miss this Cinnamon Toast in Cereal Milk, which is a twist and homemade version of a cinnamon toast crunch cereal.
Milk in Toast
Print Recipe Save RecipeIngredients
- 2 1-inch slice brioche bread
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- sprinkle ground cinnamon
- whole milk - for serving
Instructions
- In a large skillet on medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add in the brioche slices and toast until the bottom is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Flip, and toast the other side until golden brown, about 2 minutes.
- Sprinkle on the granulated sugar and cinnamon. Cut each toast into 9 cubes.
- Add the toast cubes into a 2 bowls and serve with milk.
Deitra Pawley says
I made this last night for dinner, I used warm milk , going to make it for breakfast today and I will use cold milk this time around .
Julie Tremblay says
I was looking for this! Used to eat this as a kid, white bread, milk and brown sugar!
Mary says
Mom always made this when we were sick....have stomach ache today and thinking it was warm milk cinnamon and sugar
j. says
Yes, we were just talking about how I would eat a bowl of bread with brown sugar sprinkled on top! So good.
Rachel Roescher says
This is super similar to a dish my grandfather made me for breakfast as a child. (Sweet milk toast) We are from the south so the key ingredient was day old biscuits, cut in half and topped with cheddar cheese before toasting until melty! We warmed milk with butter, salt and pepper and voila!
Rhonda says
Omg, I was just telling my husband that as a child my mom would make me milk toast whenever I had the stomach flu and wasn’t able to keep anything down. It was easy to digest and mild in flavor when the mere thought alone of regular food would make me gag.
Jack says
same here....Mom used to make it.....we loved it...
Brewster says
delicious
Dennis says
Instructions really simple to follow. Really enjoyed it. Thank you.
Connie christy says
The way we had (and I still make it once in awhile) milk toast as a kid was to heat the milk and some butter just to boiling. Then pour over toasted (in the toaster) white bread, pouring over one piece at a time before adding next piece on top of the other. Then cover bowl with plate or lid to sit a few minutes before serving / dipping out whole slice with spoon. When my Mom made it, there was always a piece that was a little drier than the others. That was always my favorite. We always added either sugar or salt and pepper on top. Such a comfort food!
Krissy says
Delicious idea! I love spreading my toast with butter and dipping it into warm milo or hot chocolate. Mmm. I'm going to try your recipe tomorrow. Thanks for going against the grain ;-)
Jessika says
This was sheer nostalgia. I remember having this when I was in school and mom used to get late for work. I miss those days. Definitely having them tomorrow morning!
Jessika