Melba Toast Recipe with Cinnamon Sugar
Sneak Preview: Turn stale homemade bread into crisp, crunchy Melba toast with a light coating of cinnamon sugar. It’s an easy way to reduce waste and enjoy a delicious snack or breakfast in about 25 minutes.
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Homemade bread is wonderful the day it’s baked, but by the second day it can lose its soft texture. Instead of tossing it or turning it into breadcrumbs, make Melba Toast. Thin slices bake into crisp, crunchy toasts that keep well for days. I especially love sprinkling mine with cinnamon sugar because they remind me of the sweet crisps served at Corner Bakery Cafe.
Store-bought yeast bread contains preservatives and additives designed to extend shelf life and maintain softness. But if you’re like me and don’t want to add preservatives to your homemade bread, this melba toast is an excellent solution for bread you don’t eat in the first 24 hours.
I did this with my Rosemary Bread Machine with Cranberries and Pecans recipe. I also love it with this Sweet Banana Yeast Bread. Try it with any unsliced loaf, plain or sweet.
How To Make Melba Toast from Stale Bread
Kitchen Tip
Since hand-cut slices vary in thickness, check the oven often and remove thinner slices as soon as they’re crisp.
Melba Toast Recipe with Cinnamon Sugar
Ingredients
- Slightly stale loaf of uncut sandwich or sweet bread
- 1 squirt spray butter per slice
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon or cardamom
- Sprinkle of coarse-textured sanding sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven: Heat oven to 325°F.
- Slice bread: Cut slightly stale bread into ⅛-inch slices with a sharp serrated knife.
- Arrange: Place slices in a single layer on a parchment- or silicone mat-lined baking sheet.
- Butter: Lightly spray or brush one side with butter or olive oil.
- Season: Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Add coarse sanding sugar if desired.
- Bake: Bake until dry, crisp, and golden, about 15–20 minutes. Remove thinner slices as they finish baking.
Notes
Equipment
- Silicone Baking Mat – 2-Pack
Nutrition
All images and text ©️ Paula Rhodes for SaladinaJar.com
Questions and Answers:
1. What is the best type of bread to use?
Use white or whole wheat bread with a fine, close crumb for the best results.
2. What is the secret to cutting even slices?
It takes practice. A sharp serrated knife and slightly stale bread are essential.
3. Can I bake these in my toaster oven or air fryer?
Yes! While you can’t bake as many at once, they will cook faster.
4. How do I store Melba Toasts?
Keep what you’ll eat in 2–3 days in a plastic bag on the counter. Freeze extras for up to a month.
5. How do I make Melba Toast without sugar and cinnamon?
Simply skip the cinnamon and sugar. They’re delicious with jelly, cream cheese, or regular cheese.
6. Can I use fresh bread?
Slightly stale bread slices much more easily. Fresh bread tends to compress and tear, making it difficult to cut the thin slices needed for crisp Melba Toast.
Final Thoughts
I don’t know about you, but I can’t stand to waste good bread. This is one of my favorite solutions for stale bread. If you’re looking for another delicious way to use stale bread, try my Bread Crumb Pudding. I
— Paula, Home Economist
Homemade Food Worth Sharing
Need help troubleshooting?
Email me: Paula at saladinajar.com — photos help!
Paula, I’m going to be using your rye bread recipe to make something like these. Three nieces and I just returned form a trip to Latvia (our family’s homeland) and discovered that the most popular snack over there is “rye toasts”- often served with a dipping sauce of some kind – and their marvellous beer. (Although I just experimented with my first batch of kvass – delightful!) I think “grauzdini” would be perfect made with your rye bread this way but the main flavouring ingredients woudl be kosher coarse salt and very finely minced garlic.
I love your idea for rye toasts. Cut them thin and I think they will turn out great.
Just made some, and they are yummy! What is the best way to store them?
Hi Elisabeth, Freeze them in a plastic bag or container. If I didn’t put some in the freezer, I would eat them all in a day. 🙂
My breads keep well in the fridge in a plastic container just made for bread, wrapped in grocery produce bags. I have the 12″ long narrow loaf pans, so this works out perfectly for storage. I always liked the bread I was getting from my Zojirushi but for the bottom few slices, and storage in the fridge was also a problem, and the slices SO large, so now I just use the dough cycle, shape my loaf and put it on the bottom shelf of my dish cabinet that has a fluorescent light attached on the underside and in 15 minutes I come back, turn the oven to 400 degrees, and return in another 15 minutes at most and put in the oven for 25 minutes and turns out just really great bread.
Love my Zoji too Julia.
What a terrific idea! I am definitely going to try this. In fact, I have a loaf of chocolate chip banana bread in the freezer that my sister-in-law gave us. Hubby isn’t crazy about chocolate chips in his banana bread but I’ll bet he’d like it made into crispies! BTW, I came here via a tweet from Kalyn’s Kitchen!
Hi Cheryl, These are addictive with a little cinnamon and sugar on them. Just warning you. 🙂
For leftover breads, I put garlic spreads on them and toast them till their crisp for a good serving of garlic toasts. Everybody at home loves them, and no bread goes to waste. It’s both healthy and delicious.
Jaeny, Why didn’t I think of this? Great idea! Have some bread in the freezer right now that would be perfect for this. Thanks so much for writing.
I put a tsp. of lemon juice in all homemade bread recipes. It keeps it fluffier longer. I also slice and put in a container in the fridge. like this idea for a snack, especially since it’s sliced thin.