Toast · Chapter 5 of 8

Why this recipe works.

I am not a scientist. I am something better: a woman who has read the first paragraph of a great many articles.

The science

Four reasons this toast is perfect.

Reason 01

Heat makes bread hot

When you apply heat to bread, the bread gets hot. This is called thermodynamics, and it is why we use a toaster and not, for example, a fridge.

Reason 02

The Maillard reaction

Named after a Frenchman, Louis Maillard, who also, I assume, loved toast. When bread browns, flavour happens. I have no further information on this, and I have looked.

Reason 03

Resting the toast

Like a steak, toast must rest after cooking, for between zero and one seconds. Some cooks skip this. Those cooks are Gary.

Reason 04

Room temperature butter

Cold butter tears the toast. Room-temperature butter glides. Melted butter is soup. I learned this from Nana Bev, who learned it from the toast.

As promised

What Nana Bev meant by “Well.”

I told you in Chapter 1 that I would explain this here, and I have now sat with it for four hours, and I think she meant: well.

As in, well, here we are. As in, well, it is bread. As in, well, you can stand there looking at it or you can put it in the toaster. It was never about the toast. And also it was only ever about the toast.

Ad. Her knees remain nervous.

Science: done

So, about that recipe.

Before I give it to you, I know some of you are going to ask about substitutions. So let's handle that now, before you ask, which you will anyway, in the comments.

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