Remember the humble ‘dhoodh-bread’? The one which involved dunking a folded white bread slice in a glass of milk, and then timing your reflex action really well? You had to take the bread out exactly in that millisecond when it had soaked just enough milk to be soft, and flavourful or else it would melt away and you had to scoop out the soggy bite with a spoon.
Now, meet its (NRI) non-resident Indian cousin! White bread gets replaced by brown, it’s smothered with sweet cinnamon butter, dipped into a bowl of warm spicy milk, and enjoyed as ‘bread meal’. While the former was served to 90’s children right before school or the evening tuition class, the latter is enjoyed at cafes for brunch.
It took me exactly 20 mins to recreate this yum, healthy breakfast. I lived a dozen childhood memories while making it and my kitchen smelled like a cozy bakery! Now, that’s a good start to the week! I hope you all have a good one too!
Old Fashioned Milk Toast
Enjoy the steps!
Ingredients
- 2 thick slices whole wheat bread
- 2 tablespoon butter (room temperature)
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups milk
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 star anise
- 2 cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger powder
- A pinch of nutmeg
Directions
- In a bowl, add butter, sugar, ground cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Whisk everything together. Keep aside.
- In a saucepan, add milk. Bring it to a light boil and add the spices: cinnamon stick, star anise, cloves, ginger powder, and nutmeg. Simmer for 5-6 mins, switch the gas off and let the milk cool down a bit.
- Heat oven at 180 C. Coat bread slices with the butter mix and toast them in the oven for 5 minutes or until lightly golden. Cut the bread into bite-size chunks.
- Mix honey in warm milk, check sweetness and pour it into the serving bowls. Add bread chunks, take a walk down the childhood memory lane and enjoy a bowl of sweet, cinnamon goodness!
Tips:
- Toasting the bread keeps it crunchy and it doesn’t become mushy when soaked in milk.
- To make a vegan version, use plant-based milk and vegan butter.
