How to Make Smoky Texas Toast

At its simplest, Texas Toast is just white bread that's sliced double-thick and slathered with butter before being toasted. Crisp and buttery on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside, Texas Toasts are perfect for mopping up drippings from brisket (try making a sandwich), or a plate of beans.

I like adding garlic and smoked paprika to the butter, for a bit more flavor. Adding smoked paprika to the butter not only gives the toasts a great smoky flavor, it also gives them a cowboy worthy tan. Topped with some fried eggs these also make for a tasty breakfast.

Although Texas Toast usually involves buttering both sides, I prefer adding extra butter to just one side, as doing both sides tends to make a mess in the broiler/ toaster oven. While you can avoid the mess by using a baking sheet, the toasts won't crisp up as well as doing them directly on the rack. Still if you want to butter both sides, go for it, just keep in mind you'll need to double the amount of spread for 4 pieces of toast.

Lastly for those of you worried about such things like diet, don't skimp on the butter. You need a thick layer of butter on each slice of toast to form a caramelized crust of milk solids that makes this toast taste like it's got cheese on top. If you're worried about the amount of butter, skip this and go make yourself a salad.