Easy Melba toast

Find more recipes at fussfreeflavours.com

A close up of slices melba toast on a rustic wooden board. A serving of pink dip is on one slice, garnished with parsley.

4.92 from 12 votes

Restaurant-quality Melba toast is so easy to make at home from a loaf of sliced white bread. Toast until crispy and then dive into your dip! Homemade is always so much better than shop bought.

Servings: pieces

Author: Helen Best-Shaw

Prep Time2

Cook Time5

Ingredients

2 slices plain white sandwich bread per person - 1

Instructions

Switch on your grill/broiler to medium to warm up.
Toast - Toast the bread until just pale golden.
2 slices plain white sandwich bread per person
Trim - Use a sharp serrated knife to trim the crusts off each slice to form a square.
Then cut diagonally into two or four pieces depending how large the slices are.
Press as lightly as you can so you do not squash the bread.
Split - Use a serrated knife to split each piece through the middle into two layers.
It is easiest to do this when the bread is still warm from the toaster.
Remove crumbs - Whilst the bread is still warm and soft use your fingers to gently rub the cut side slice to remove any crumbs so the pieces of bread are as thin as can be.
The more bread you remove the thinner and crisper the final Melba toast will be.
Once you set up a production line you can do this whilst the next two slices are toasting.
Cook the Melba Toast - Arrange the pieces of bread, toasted side down on a baking tray.
Put them under the grill / broiler about 6-8″ from the flame to toast until they are golden brown and the edges have curled up.
Depending on your grill this can take less than 20 seconds.
Do not take your eyes off the toasts when grilling / broiling as they can burn within seconds.
Most grills/broilers will have hotspots, so as each piece of Melba toast reaches golden brown crispy protection remove it and keep juggling the other pieces around until they are all done.
Arrange on a tray to cool and make sure they are completely dry before packing into a container.
Storage - store for a couple of days in a large air tight container.

Notes

Ingredients

The best bread to use is everyday medium sliced soft white bread. Toastie or sandwich bread is ideal because you want the slices to be as square as possible so there is less waste when you trim the crusts off. Thinly sliced bread is too thin to easily split, and and thickly sliced bread is just too thick. You want lovely light crispy crackers, so go for something in the middle!

Hints and Tips

Dry the crusts and crumbs out under the grill as with the toasts, allow to cool, then crush to crumbs either in a plastic bag or in a coffee or spice grinder. Store in an airtight container and use within a few days, or freeze. Use them in any recipes that call for regular or panko breadcrumbs.
Do not take your eyes off the toast when they are under the grill / broiler. They can burn within seconds.
A small sharp serrated knife is the best for preparing the toasts, rather than a large bread knife.

Storage

Pack the completely dry and cooled Melba toasts into a large air tight box, where they will keep for a couple of days. They need to be completely dry and cool so there is no condensation.

• Please note that the nutrition information provided below is approximate and meant as a guideline only.

• Unless stated otherwise cup conversions have been made with an online tool. For accuracy please check with your favoured conversion tool. We recommend buying inexpensive digital kitchen scales.