Toast Water
Ingredients
Directions
Make the toast
Take the upper crust of a stale loaf, about 1.5 inches thick.
Toast it until very brown and dry, but do not burn it.
Steep and strain
Place the toasted bread in a jug with the cold water.
Cover and let it sit for one hour.
Strain through muslin and serve.
Make toast water fresh every day.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Bread
- Toasting browns the crust, adding roasted flavor and color to the water.
- Cold water
- Slowly draws flavor and color out of the toasted bread without harsh extraction.
The step that matters
Toast until very brown and dry, but not burnt. Toasting browns the bread through Maillard reactions and caramelization, creating the flavor. Underdone bread gives a weak, pale drink, while burnt bread turns the water bitter and acrid.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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