There’s something undeniably comforting about warm, caramelized toast—simple yet indulgent.
Honey butter toast, a beloved treat with roots in Japanese and Korean cafés, is traditionally made with soft milk bread. Here, I’m using my homemade pain de mie, also known as toast bread, for a slightly more structured take. The magic happens when a luscious mixture of butter, honey, and brown sugar coats each slice before baking, creating a beautifully crisp, golden exterior with a rich, buttery sweetness.
Perfect for brunch, an afternoon treat, or a cozy late-night bite.
Mis en Place
Pain de Mie
315 G Water
*Roughly 19-20 Celsius
6 G Dry Yeast
9 G Milk Powder
6 G Heavy Cream
13 G Granulated Sugar
9 G Sea Salt
12 G Unsalted Butter, room temperature
450 G Bread Flour
Egg Wash: 1 egg whisked with a tablespoon of milk or water
Honey Butter
80 G Unsalted Butter, softened
60 G Brown Sugar
30 G Honey
Pinch of Salt
Chantilly Cream
250 G Whipping Cream
60 G Confectioners Sugar
5 G Vanilla Extract/Paste
Salted Caramel
Optional for topping, find recipe here
*I equally think fresh berries would be delicious here too
Method
Make Pain de Mie
Step 1
In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook,
combine all the ingredients for the pain de mie, starting with the water and ending with the yeast.
Turn the mixer to second or third gear and mix for 10 minutes.
The dough will be smooth and have elasticity to it.
Transfer to a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hr in a warm space.
(27-29 degrees Celsius)
I like to turn my oven to 170 F and then turn it off and place the bowl in the oven and keep the door cracked open, alternatively even placing the bowl in a cold oven with the light on could be enough.
Roughly 1-1.5 hrs.
Step 2
Once dough has doubled in size, lightly turn dough onto a floured surface or lightly greased countertop.
The dough is delicate so be gentle when handling.
Roll and shape the dough into a log ensuring the seam is on the bottom.
Transfer the shaped dough to a greased loaf pan, ensuring it has been evenly dispersed.
Place the loaf pan again in a warm space to rise, roughly 30 minutes.
Once doubled in volume, I like to brush with a light egg wash.
Step 3
Preheat oven to 375 F on bake, not convection bake.
Place a sheet pan of water on the lower rack to create steam in the oven while baking.
Bake loaf for 15 minutes, then open the oven and remove the pan of water.
Continue baking for a remaining 15 minutes.
Step 4
Once fully baked, let rest for 5 minutes in pan.
Carefully transfer pain de mie to a cooling rack to fully cool, roughly 1 hr.
*This will yield more toast bread than you will need, store remaining bread in a air tight plastic bag for future use.
Honey Butter
Combine softened butter with brown sugar, honey and salt.
Set aside at room temperature.
Chantilly Cream
Whisk whipping cream to soft peaks, add confectioners sugar and continue whipping to stiff peaks.
Add vanilla extract or paste.
Set aside in the refrigerator.
Assembly
Preheat oven to 350 F, convection bake.
Slice pain de mie into thick slices, roughly 1-2".
Carefully cut away crust.
Using a butter knife or offset spatula, spread a generous coating of honey butter on all sides of the toasts.
Place toasts onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, then flip toasts, and bake for a remaining 10 minutes.
Once done, transfer to a cooling rack to fully cool, its tempting I know...
let it come to full room temperature before serving.
Serve
Top the toasts with a cloud of Chantilly cream and a generous drizzle of salted caramel, if using.
Finish with a delicate sprinkle of Maldon or fleur de sel, and voilà—pure indulgence.
Enjoy!
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