Melba toast is made from very thinly sliced white bread, which has been lightly toasted until it becomes crispy. It's perfect for serving with pate, dips and other delicacies such as my devilled egg dip (recipe included below). What's more, it takes minutes to make, and you only need one ingredient!
One of my Christmas traditions is to make chicken liver pate. I normally serve it with shop-bought crackers as part of our Christmas Eve buffet spread. This year I decided to try something different and swap out the crackers for Melba toast.
That was a great move on my part! I always end up with half-eaten boxes of crackers that go stale in the cupboard and normally end up in the bin by the end of January. The Melba toast and pate were devoured. I could have made double the amount of toast and it would have been eaten.
I love Melba toast - not least because it is so easy to make. But you can also eat it with a variety of different dishes.
- spread it with pate
- dunk it in dips
- crush it to make croutons for soup
- serve alongside a dish of spicy peri-peri chicken livers
Melba toast is ultra crispy, and because it isn't covered with salt and seasonings, you can pair it with all manner of spreads and dips. It has a flavour and texture similar to crispy wheat crackers.
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What is melba toast exactly?
Melba toast is made from slices of day-old bread that are toasted twice to dry them out. This method of twice-toasting bread makes for extremely crispy toast.
The first toast is done in an electric toaster (or in the oven if you don't have a toaster) until the bread is just starting to harden on the outside and is barely brown.
Then the bread is sliced through the middle so you end up with two very thin slices, and is toasted for a second time in the oven until it dries out and becomes and crispy.
This is a fantastic way to breathe new life into stale bread.
If you want to make melba toast yourself, this is how you do it.
What you will need
Equipment
For the first toasting, you will need a toaster. If you don't have a toaster you can toast the bread in the oven, but be careful not to let it get too brown.
You will need a bread knife with a serrated edge to split the slices of toast down the middle.
And finally, you will need a baking sheet for the second toasting.
Ingredients
This is more of a method than a recipe, so the quantities are up to you. One slice of bread will yield 4 triangles of melba toast. If you decide to cut those in half then you will get 8 Dorito-sized triangles. (For those of you who don't know, Doritos are triangular corn chips).
I'm not even going to take a picture of the ingredients. All you will need are some slices of sandwich bread!
I find sandwich bread is best because it is a square shape which makes it easier to remove the crusts. Do use medium or thick sliced bread so you can easily cut through the triangles (see photo below).
I've used white bread (mainly because that was what I had in the kitchen at the time) but you could use brown bread too, or a mixture of both for contrast.
Wholewheat bread will work as well - the choice is yours.
What to do
Toast the slices of bread lightly in a toaster. Don't make the bread too brown, it will continue to toast once it goes into the oven.
Using a serrated bread knife, remove the crusts from the slices of bread.
Cut the slices of bread diagonally to form triangles. Cut each triangle through the middle to form two thinner triangles.
Brush your fingers over the cut sides of the bread to remove any loose crumbs.
Note - cutting the bread through the middle to form triangles is easier than it sounds. The outer part of the bread has become quite firm from the first toasting, so it is quite easy to slide the knife through to cut it in half.
Arrange the triangles (cut side up) on a baking sheet. There is no need to grease the baking sheet.
Place it in a medium oven (170C / 340F) for 10 to 15 minutes until the bread is golden and crispy. You will find that the edges of the toast will curl up somewhat.
Do keep your eye on the toast. It can go from light and golden to dark brown and burnt in a matter of seconds.
Storage
Allow the melba toast to cool and then store it in an air-tight container until you are ready to use it. It should stay crispy for up to a week (depending on the humidity levels).
Bonus recipe - devilled egg dip
As promised, here is my bonus recipe for devilled egg dip.
This will make sufficient for 2 people as a starter, or 4 to 6 people as a dip, depending on how many other sides and dips you have.
- 2 large or 3 small hard-boiled eggs
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise (store-bought, or make your own using my easy 1-minute mayonnaise recipe)
- 1 to 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup - start with 1 tablespoon and add more to taste. You don't want to overpower the dish with tomato flavour.
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce - use your favourite. I like Nando's hot peri-peri, but you could use Tabasco or Sriracha instead.
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Paprika to sprinkle (optional)
Peel the eggs and place them in a bowl with all the other ingredients except the salt and pepper.
Mash will a fork until well combined. Don't use a food processor - this will make the eggs too fine. You want a slight texture in this dish.
Season with salt and pepper to taste, and optionally sprinkle with paprika.
Serve at room temperature with slices of melba toast.
Variations
I've given instructions for basic melba toast, however there are several ways that you could vary it.
- Crispy garlic toast - brush the cut side of the triangles with garlic butter before putting them in the oven.
- Herby melba toast - brush the cut side of the bread lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with crushed dry herbs such as rosemary, thyme or Italian herbs before putting into the oven.
- Cheese melba toast - sprinkle the cut sides lightly with grated parmesan cheese before baking.
I'm sure you can think of many other ways to add extra flavour.
Top tip
I've made this recipe both by baking the toast in the oven, and also by toasting the cut slices under a grill or broiler. My top tip is to avoid the grill or broiler as the toast will be far more prone to burning.
I've found that baking it in the oven makes the toast ultra-crispy, and it is less likely to burn (provided you watch it like a hawk).
FAQ
Melba toast is very thinly sliced and is twice-baked to achieve a dry and crunchy texture.
You can make this toast up to a week in advance and store it in an airtight container. In the unlikely event that the toast loses its crispness within this time, you can crisp it in a moderate oven for a few minutes. Just keep your eye on it so it doesn't burn.
I haven't tried to freeze it - we always manage to finish it off in a couple of days.
However, there is no reason it shouldn't freeze well. If you do try to freeze it, I would advise packing it carefully into a rigid container to avoid the delicate pieces breaking in the freezer.
To use, place the frozen slices onto a baking sheet and put them into a hot oven for a few minutes until they are defrosted and crispy.
If you manage to freeze it successfully, I'd love it if you could let me know how it turned out.
Save for later
If you would like to make Melba toast, why not save the recipe to one of your Pinterest boards so you can find it easily? Just click the image below.
Alternatively, you can save the recipe by clicking on the floating heart icon on the right-hand side of the screen.
Related recipes
Here are some other how to guides that you may find interesting:
You can browse all my how-to guides for other handy ideas.
📋The recipe
How to make melba toast
(Click the stars to rate this recipe)
Equipment
- Bread Knife
- Chopping Board
- Toaster
Ingredients
Melba toast
- 4 slices white sandwich bread
Devilled egg dip
- 2 large hard-boiled eggs
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoon tomato ketchup
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce (Nando's, Tabasco or Sriracha)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Paprika (optional) to sprinkle
Instructions
Melba toast
- Toast the slices of bread lightly in a toaster. Don't make the bread too brown, it will continue to toast once it goes into the oven.4 slices white sandwich bread
- Preheat the oven to 170°C / 340°F
- Using a serrated bread knife, remove the crusts from the slices of toast.
- Cut the slices of bread diagonally to form triangles. Cut each triangle through the middle to form two thinner triangles.
- Brush your fingers over the cut sides of the bread to remove any loose crumbs.
- Arrange the triangles (cut side up) on a baking sheet. There is no need to grease the baking sheet.
- Place it in a medium oven (170C / 340F) for 10 to 15 minutes until the bread is golden and crispy.
- Serve with pate or a selection of your favourite dips.
Devilled egg dip
- Peel the eggs and place them in a bowl with all the other ingredients except the salt, pepper and paprika.2 large hard-boiled eggs, 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, 2 tablespoon tomato ketchup, 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- Mash will a fork until well combined. Don't use a food processor - this will make the eggs too fine. You want a slight texture in this dish.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste, and optionally sprinkle with paprika.Salt and pepper to taste, Paprika (optional)
- Serve at room temperature with slices of melba toast.
Notes
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
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