By Christina Morales, The New York Times
Everything is bigger in Texas, so the saying goes. It’s no wonder then that the toast that bears the state’s name has an outsize following across the United States.
The name refers to both the form (a thick slice of white bread) and a style (buttery griddled bread), and it’s one of many Lone Star State foods, like chicken-fried steak, queso and chili, that have become American staples.
Barbecue and fast food restaurants have played a role in the bread’s popularity, as establishments such as Raising Cane’s and Zaxbys increase their footprints across the country. The most famous of the frozen-Texas-toast brands, New York Bakery, sold more than $300 million in frozen garlic bread last year, most of which was Texas toast.
“There’s something nice about having bread that’s crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside,” said Briana Fountain, who eats the toast at restaurants, or at home in Atlanta as a small pizza or with spaghetti. She added, “And if you warm it up, it’s even better.”
As with many cultural mainstays, the origins of Texas toast are murky. Two outposts of Pig Stand, in Beaumont and Denton, Texas, claimed to have invented it in the 1940s. A cook buttered both sides of the plump bread that was too thick to fit in the toaster and browned it on a griddle instead of sticking it in the toaster.
“Fact or fiction, I’m not sure,” said Monica Perales, the associate vice provost of the Institute of Texan Cultures at the University of Texas at San Antonio. But she feels the tale, and “the dimensions of the bread,” fit the story of Texas. Besides, she added, “Who doesn’t love a buttered piece of bread?”
The last location of Pig Stand, in San Antonio, closed last year, but it made Texas toast the same way for decades. Mary Ann Hill, who worked at the restaurant since the 1960s and was its owner, recalled that some customers loved the bread so much that they’d ask for several pieces in advance, and others asked her to soak it in butter.
“It was a big hit,” Hill said.
Other Texans assert that they created Texas toast. Soon after Gene Dunston opened his Dallas restaurant, Gene’s Wheel In Drive In, in 1955, he became curious about offering breakfast customers an alternative to the usual biscuits and thin slices of toast he was serving.
He ordered a loaf of bread from his baker, cut it into bulky slices, then brushed both sides with butter and toasted it on the griddle. He loved it so much, he put it on the menu.
“Once they tried the toast,” Dunston said of his customers, “they didn’t order the biscuits anymore.” Even though the restaurant stopped serving breakfast and became Dunston’s Steakhouse in 1968, Texas toast is still available.
Lately, it’s finding its way into sandwiches. Ian So, the owner of Vuji Cafe in Houston, tried several different breads in his sandwiches to see how they’d stand up. But nothing held up to his saucy, jam-packed creations quite like the Texas toast loaf from H-E-B.
“It’s a little bit of practicality, but it’s also a bit of a homage to Houston,” So said. “This is our way for doing an Asian fusion with Houston local flair.”
Texas Toast
By Lidey Heuck
Thickly-sliced and buttery, this extra-large toast is believed to have been created, in 1941, at the Pig Stand, a drive-in restaurant in Beaumont, Texas. Owner Royce Hailey felt the bread slices they offered were too thin, so he asked his supplier for a thicker cut. The new size didn’t fit in the toaster, so the cooks brushed the slices with butter and toasted them in the oven instead, resulting in a crisp and buttery exterior and a fluffy interior. The “Texas toast” concept stuck — you can even buy it premade in the frozen food section — but it’s almost as easy to slice a loaf of bakery white bread and make it at home. Here, a combination of melted butter and olive oil provide flavor and a golden-brown hue. Feel free to skip the garlic and parsley if you’re looking for just plain toast.
Yield: 6 servings
Total time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
- 6 slices thick-sliced white bread (at least 3/4-inch thick)
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal), plus more for serving
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley (optional)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
Preparation
1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees and arrange the bread slices on a sheet pan. In a small bowl, combine the butter, olive oil and salt, as well as the parsley and garlic powder, if using.
2. Brush each piece of bread generously on both sides with the butter mixture. Bake until the bottoms are golden brown, 8 to 12 minutes. Flip and bake until the second side is toasted, 3 to 5 minutes more. (It will not take as long as the first side.)
3. Sprinkle the pieces of toast lightly with salt and serve hot, sliced in half, if desired.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
