Classic Toast Toppings {And A Homemade Jam Recipe}

Toasted bread. It may not seem like the most innovative of inventions, but the most loved creations are often the most simple. You’ve heard the phrase, “the greatest thing since sliced bread,” but how long has sliced bread been around? Coincidentally or not, sliced bread and the modern toaster were invented around the same time: the early 1900’s (the toaster in 1919 and the bread slicer in 1927). For almost a decade, these two simple yet ingenious inventions have worked in conjunction with one another to provide us one of life’s simple pleasures: toast.

It’s funny how little things can sometimes have a major impact—a small gesture from a friend, a simple “hello” from a stranger, a homecooked meal or special snack from a loved one. Like many things, food can have a meaningful impact on us in a way that is often hard to describe. Food can boost our mood, grant us refuge after a long day’s work, or evoke our favorite childhood memories. The food we choose says a lot about us, and it’s almost always more than a meal.

There’s something about a classic slice of toast with a bit of jam and butter that really hits the spot. Maybe it’s the way the light fruit flavors let the quality and taste of the bread shine through. The same holds true with Martin’s Old-Fashioned Real Butter Bread. Lightly toasted with jam or butter; it’s unexplainable, yet somehow magical.

We sat down recently with Julie Martin, social media manager and granddaughter to the founders of Martin’s Famous Pastry Shoppe, to ask about her favorite memories growing up in a household of bakers.

Julie fondly recalled such stories as her Grandmother Lois, co-founder of Martin’s, instructing her on how to make honey butter to pair with toast. This simple yet delicious snack was a family favorite.

Honey Butter Toast

Ingredients:

• 4 Slices Martin’s Butter Bread
• 1 Cup Unsalted Butter, softened
• 1/3 Cup Honey
• 3 Tablespoons Sugar
• ½ Teaspoon Sea Salt

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter for 1 minute until smooth. Add in the remaining ingredients, and mix to combine.
2. Toast Butter Bread to desired level.
3. Spread honey butter on toast and serve with an extra drizzle of honey and/or a sprinkle of sea salt.
4. Note: Save leftover honey butter in the refrigerator for up to a week or so.

Another classic meal in the Martin home was cinnamon toast—a simple swipe of butter with a sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar. According to Julie, this was their oft-prescribed remedy for the common cold. When she or her siblings were sick, toast with cinnamon or honey butter and a ginger ale would somehow do the trick.

Cinnamon Toast

Ingredients

• 2 Sticks Salted Butter, softened
• ½ Cup Sugar
• ½ Cup Brown Sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Ground Cinnamon
• 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract, or to taste
• 16 Slices Martin’s Butter Bread

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a medium bowl, mash the softened butter with a fork. Add the sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla; stir to combine.
3. Spread the butter mixture on the bread slices.
4. Lay the cinnamon bread on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Then broil until golden brown and bubbling.
5. Remove from oven. Cut the slices into halves diagonally and serve.

It’s no surprise that food tastes better when it’s fresh or homemade; when you make something with your own two hands and can almost taste the love and commitment that went into it.

Julie remembers when her mother, Donna (wife of Martin’s current president, James Martin) used to make homemade jams and preserves in their home. She would pick fresh grapes off the vine, gather strawberries from her own garden, or collect peaches from the local farm.

Homemade jams and jellies take a little bit of work but are fairly simple to make, and enjoyably gratifying when finished. All you need is fresh fruit, sugar, lemon juice, and occasionally pectin. Oh – and a loaf of delicious Butter Bread (don’t worry – we baked it fresh so you don’t have to).

Universal Jam Recipe

Recipe adapted from www.motherearthnews.com

Ingredients

• 3 pounds just-ripe fruit
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 lemon

Directions

1. Clean and trim the fruit (remove stems, pits, seeds, etc.) and cut into medium sized pieces.
2. Using a kitchen utensil or your hand, crush the fruit in a large bowl. Measure and note the quantity. You should have about 5 cups.
3. Put the fruit puree in a wide, heavy-bottomed, non-reactive pot. The puree should be no more than 1 inch deep in the bottom of the pot.
4. For every two cups of fruit puree, add to the pot one scant cup of sugar and 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice. Stir to combine, and taste. Very tart fruit may need a little more sugar. Very sweet fruit may need a little more lemon juice. Adjust to taste.
5. Bring the fruit-sugar mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently. After it boils, continue to cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, for 12 to 14 minutes, or until thickened. Check the consistency and continue boiling for another minute or two if too runny.
6. When the jam is thickened to your liking, ladle it into clean half-pint jars or other air-tight containers. Allow to cool, then store in the refrigerator for up to a month.
7. Serve chilled jam on Martin’s Old-Fashioned Real Butter Bread!

Read more:

• Learn the difference between jams, jellies, and preserves at epicurious.com.
• Get more jam & preserves canning tips and recipes at almanac.com