Name: Melba Toast Recipe with Sugar and Cinnamon
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
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

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Sneak Preview: Make this Melba Toast from stale unsliced bread. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar before baking. These are similar to the sweet crisps sold at Corner Bakery Cafe.

homemade melba toasts sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar and baked in the oven.

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Ever wonder why homemade yeast bread stales so quickly? Or what mysterious ingredients keep store-bought bread soft for weeks?

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.

Melba toast reduces waste, lasts for days, and offers fewer calories per serving because it’s sliced thinly.

I did this with my Rosemary Bread Machine Recipe with Cranberries and Pecans recipe. I also love it with this Sweet Banana Yeast Bread. Try it with any un-sliced loaf, either plain or sweet.

Happy Bakers Speak Up

“Just made some, and they are yummy!” –ELISABETH

How To Make Melba Toast with Leftover Bread

Slicing stale bread with a sharp serrated knife to make melba toasts — 1. Thinly slice bread about ⅛ to ¼-inch thick using a cutting board.

Bread slices arranged on a baking tray. — 2. Arrange the slices of bread on a parchment paper-covered baking tray or cookie sheet.

Spraying slices with spray butter. — 3. Spray butter or olive oil on one side of each slice of bread. You could also brush the tops with melted butter.

Sprinkle bread slices with sugar and cinnamon — 4. Sprinkle with two tablespoons of granulated sugar + 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.

sprinkling slices with sanding sugar or coarse sugar — 5. Sprinkle the tops with sanding sugar or coarse sugar.

Baked Melba toast in a serving dish. — 6. Bake at 325˚F until the toasts are golden brown and melba toasts won’t bend.

💡Kitchen Tip💡

Hand-slicing can lead to uneven browning, so watch closely as the bread toasts and remove slices from the oven as they finish.

Questions and Answers:

1. What is the best type of bread to use?

Use white or whole wheat bread with a 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.

Parting thoughts: I don’t know about you, but I can’t stand to waste good bread. So try this delicious way to salvage leftover or stale bread. We like this solution, too: Bread Crumb Pudding: A Delicious Solution for Stale Bread.

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Help at Your Fingertips: For questions or suggestions, email Paula at saladinajar.com. If you need help, I’m happy to troubleshoot via email (faster than leaving a comment). Attach pictures and as many details as possible for the best advice.

Yield: 2 slices

Melba Toast Recipe with Sugar and Cinnamon

By Paula Rhodes

These melba toasts resemble the cinnamon toast crisps sold at the Corner Bakery.

5 from 2 votes

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Prep time: 10

Cook time: 15

Total time: 25

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 your oven to 325˚F.
Slice a stale loaf of bread (because it is firmer) as thin as possible. Try for 1/8 inch.
Arrange slices on a cookie sheet so they don’t overlap. Save time. Use a silicone mat or parchment paper on the tray so you won’t have to wash it.
Spray each slice with one or two squirts of spray butter.
Sprinkle lightly with the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
To make them sweeter, sprinkle with sanding or coarse sugar on top.
Bake at 325˚F for about 15+ minutes.

Notes

The time to bake will vary greatly depending on the thickness of each slice. Some may be ready before others, so keep an eye on them. They should be dry, crisp, and golden brown. Press on them with your finger. If they bounce back under pressure, they need a bit more time. If they start to get browner than golden, they are getting too done and will begin to taste a bit burned.

Equipment

Nutrition

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11 Comments

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.

Paula says:

at

I love your idea for rye toasts. Cut them thin and I think they will turn out great.

Reply

Just made some, and they are yummy! What is the best way to store them?

Paula says:

at

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. 🙂

Reply

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.

Paula says:

at

Love my Zoji too Julia.

Reply

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!

Paula says:

at

Hi Cheryl, These are addictive with a little cinnamon and sugar on them. Just warning you. 🙂

Reply

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.

Paula says:

at

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.

Reply

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.

Paula Rhodes, owner

As a retired home economist, I created Saladinajar.com to share my belief that you don’t have to be a chef to find joy in creating homemade food worth sharing. Bread machines (used in an unconventional way), homemade yogurt, and quick microwave recipes are my specialty.