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The Best Cinnamon Toast Ever!

Overhead shot of Cinnamon Toast on a blue plate

The Best Cinnamon Toast Ever. Y’all, I’m serious when I say that. 

But you’re thinking “Cinnamon toast? Really?” And “Who needs a recipe for that?” Right?

Well, I thought the same thing when I first saw a recipe for cinnamon toast on Ree Drummond’s blog probably 10 years back. 

Cinnamon Toast with bite taken out

I had grown up throwing some cinnamon and sugar on buttered toast and calling it a day. 

But something about the mechanics of Ree’s recipe intrigued me, so I made it.  And whoa!  I Never. Looked. Back.

Cinnamon Toast on sheet pan

I was rambling through the pantry the other day searching for something to make for a quick and easy breakfast for Jack and me when the loaf of bread caught my eye and I thought, “Cinnamon toast!”

Now my recipe has evolved a bit over the years, but chances are you have everything you’ll need to make this right at home already in the pantry and fridge. 

Cinnamon Toast on a blue plate

The trick here that makes this so different than any other cinnamon toast is you make a paste of sorts with the softened butter, cinnamon, sugar, and a pinch of salt. That paste gets spread over the bread and baked. It’s important to get that buttery goodness all the way to the edges of the bread because after we bake it for a while to allow that butter to melt down into the bread, we’re also going to broil it for a bit. Getting that butter covering everything helps to keep the bread from burning under the broiler. Broiling it gets that sugar all caramelized and bubbly and crunchy – almost like the torched sugar topping on creme brûlée. 

Cinnamon Toast with bite taken out

So you’ve got that buttery soaked bread that gets super crispy on the bottom topped with the crispy, crunchy sugar topping, and that savory cinnamon… it really is a game changer.  I never thought cinnamon toast could be so exciting, but trust me when I say this is honestly the Best Cinnamon Toast Ever.

Cinnamon Toast on a blue plate
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4.5 from 12 votes

Best Cinnamon Toast Ever

Prep Time5 mins
Cook Time15 mins
Servings: 4 slices
Author: Stacey Little | Southern Bite

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, well softened
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • pinch of salt
  • 4 slices bread

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a small bowl, combine the butter, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. You'll need the butter to be pretty soft to get it all combined.
  • Spread the mixture evenly over one side of each of the 4 pieces of bread, being sure to cover all the way up to the edges of the bread. It's going to seem like a lot, but trust me.
  • Place the bread on a baking sheet and bake it in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.
  • Next turn the broiler on and broil the toast until it is deep golden brown and the sugar is bubbling. I usually stand right at the oven with the door cracked so I can watch it best and prevent it from burning.
  • Slice in halves, if desired, and serve.

Notes

Note: Adapted from The Pioneer Woman
Making This Recipe?Tag me on Instagram: @SouthernBite using the hashtag #SouthernBite, so I can see how it turned out!

Cinnamon Toast image for Pinterest

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. That is the way I do it, too. I also add a bit of vanilla extract. Sometimes< I add a pinch of nutmeg. Great cinnamon toast!

    Reply

  3. This is the way my momma made it! I hadn’t thought about it in years. Definitely making for breakfast tomorrow! Thanks for sharing!😊

    Reply

  4. My Mom used to make it like that when we were kids. She would then put the toast in a bowl, and pour over a bit of warm milk. It was so good!
    Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal has always reminded me of it. MMMMM, the memories of childhood.

    Reply

    • My mother made that for us when I was very young – it wasn’t for everyday – but weekends or holidays. Since it was soft on the back side, for some reason, we called it “Greasy Toast” and we Loved it! I saw Ree make this on her show a while ago and she begged viewers to never again sprinkle cinnamon sugar on buttered toast!

      Reply

  7. This is how my mom, grandmother, and great-grandmother made it! And you’re right! It is so good! Thanks for reminding me of something I need to make soon!

    Reply

  10. Very good! I grew up eating cinnamon toast like so many others. My mother just spread butter on bread, sprinkled some sugar and cinnamon over it and toasted it under the broiler – I’m 66 and we didn’t have a counter top toaster oven . I graduated to keeping sugar & cinnamon mix on hand to make for my kids. I like your method better – more even & baking first makes it crunchier. Since I’m the only one that eats it I just mixed up the ingredients and keep in refrigerator. I have to say that it must be made with white bread!
    Thanks for the memories!

    Reply

  11. made this and its amazing…I used texas toast bread in stead of regular bread. great sweet snack!!!! Thank you

    Reply

  12. I just spread the butter , sprinkle on the sugar and cinnamon. Place on a cookie sheet and broil until bubbly and brown. No need to dirty up another bowl..

    Reply

  13. This was SO GOOD! Like most others in the comments, I always just buttered bread, sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar and put it under the broiler, which is how I was taught in HomeEc. I wish this is how we would’ve been taught. This is so much better, like 100 times better. To the one reviewer, it is TOTALLY worth another dirty bowl. It is crunchy and chewy with that carmelized taste. Yummy! I will be making this again many times. Thank you.

    Reply

    • Right? I think it’s worth dirtying another bowl, too! I’ll never make cinnamon toast any other way again. So glad you enjoyed it!!

      Reply

    • I’ve never done that before, but mine is always nice and toasty on the other side as well. Did you bake the toast on a silicone mat or parchment paper or something other than directly on the pan?

      Reply

  19. WOW This is so good even with a few modifications for those who have diabetes. I used 4 slices of sprouted grain multi grain bread, and I also substituted the sugar for the stevia equivalent. I appreciate how easy it was to make and modify for special needs. New family favorite.

    Reply

  22. This new (to me) recipe definitely sounds worth a try or ten. Is there any reason not to line the cookie sheet with parchment paper?

    Reply

  23. I just made this for my teenage kids this morning on brioche bread. They said it was fabulous!! And I didn’t need to broil after baking; the top was nicely done. This will now be by permanent way of making it. Thanks very much.

    Reply

  26. I’ve been making cinnamon toast this way for 30+ years, so delicious! And now, it’s even easier in the air fryer! Just love me some cinnamon toast, thank you for getting it out there so everyone can try it! Adore your recipes and blog so very much, bless you!

    Reply

  28. This gives it a whole different yummy flavor. Been doing this for a long time but when I get lazy I just put it in the toaster and put butter, cinnamon and sugar on it a lot faster. I think I will try it with vanilla that someone mentioned in the comments when I broil it.

    this

    Reply

  29. Maybe it’s because I’ve never tried it this way but I didn’t really enjoy it at all. I usually just toast my bread in the toaster, butter it while it’s still hot and sprinkle brown sugar and the slightest pinch of cinnamon. The way the oven cooks the sugar changes the taste completely and I found my bread too dry and I loaded the butter mixture on. I even gave it the benefit of the doubt and tried again with shorter time on bake and more mixture bit it made it even worse 😔 I was hoping this was the holy grail of all cinnamon toast and I ended up broken hearted lol 😆

    Reply

  30. I was craving a good cinnamon toast for breakfast and I just made this recipe this morning it turned out DELICIOUS!! True Cinnamon toast ! Thank you !!! 🙏🏻😊💓

    Reply

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