Avocado Toast Basics

Okay so it’s pretty self-explanatory. You take an avocado, smear it on a piece of toast, and voilá. You could honestly stop there and have a delicious filling meal that will leave you satisfied. But why not take it to the next level? Below are 4 ways you can kick your avocado toast up a notch.

1.Bread

Sure, you can use any bread you want or already have lying around the kitchen. Avocados are very forgiving this way. But if you want to elevate your toast you have to be willing to enhance the basic ingredients. So what bread is best? I’ll tell you.

When choosing a bread, you want to look for two things. One, it needs to be strong enough to hold your toppings, and two, it needs to be holey.

Why holes you ask? Because each hole is a magical pocket that you can fill in with bonus flavor.

Think of your standard white or wheat bread. It is soft and dense. If you were to spread an avocado on top of that it would just sit on top. Whereas in a nice holey bread your spread has the opportunity to fill in the holes and pack it with little pockets of avocado goodness.

If you follow the two basic rules of a sturdy bread with holes in it you can’t go wrong, from there it’s all about personal preference. Below are my top 3 choices

1. Sourdough – has a tangy flavor that pairs well with the creaminess of an avocado

2.Ciabitta- is mild in flavor but is sturdy and has the biggest holes around

3. Multigrain- sweet flavor, is stronger and has more holes than white bread.

pro tip: Shop for bread in the bakery section of your grocery store rather than the bread aisle. Often you can find products from local bakeries as well as fresh bread.

2.Toast 

This one may seem obvious. Put the bread in the toaster, right? WRONG! You just spent time picking out the perfect bread, now treat it with respect. Don’t just throw it in a device that is going to suck all the moisture out of it and essentially leave you with a massive cracker.

So how should you toast your bread you ask? Well, there are three methods that are better than a toaster. They are an air fryer, oven, and stove. The reason they are better than a toaster is simple. You can spread butter on them before toasting. Butter adds more flavor, and moisture to your toast as well as give it a beautiful brown crispy outside and a soft middle.

Undoubtedly the best choice is to toast your bread on the stove. It gives you the most control over the heat, and you aren’t sticking your bread in an insulated area that will dry it out like the other methods.

Preheat a nonstick pan to medium high heat, slather butter all over both sides of your toast, and cook until desired brownness. Once done sprinkle some salt on both sides for added flavor.

pro tip: If you have it at your disposal bacon fat is a great alternative to butter that will leave you with a more savory toast.

3.Avocado

We have arrived to the star of the show. There are so many things that can be done with an avocado but I’m going to try and simplify it.

Mash it, don’t slice it. Yeah, sliced avocados do look pretty fanned out, but remember those holes in your bread? They won’t fill them in! You’re creating more work by getting that perfect cut and it won’t even taste as good. If you must slice your avocados please at least salt them before adding to your toast.

Now that I’ve convinced you to mash your avocado all you must do is remember this simple equation…

 Avocado + Salt + Lime = the perfect spread

Really. That’s it. Sure, you can add in other spices and make it taste bomb. But salt and lime are all you need to help cut the fattiness of the avocado and bring out its flavors. Everything else is optional.

Let the toppings you are putting on help you decide if you want to season it any further. For example: if I were making a Mexican inspired toast I may amp up my spread by adding some chili powder, garlic, and cumin, then for toppings a little salsa, cotija cheese, and cilantro.  If I were doing a breakfast toast with bacon and eggs, I’d probably just leave it as is because I don’t want the spread to overpower my toppings.

pro tip: When shopping for avocados buy them at a variety of ripenesses so that you don’t have to worry about using them all up at once.

4.Toppings

This is by far the most fun part. Get creative and turn your favorite foods into avocado toast. You really can’t go wrong.

For the most dynamic meal I recommend adding a protein, a new texture, and a finishing sprinkle of something to make your toast pop.

Below are some easy ideas

Protein: bacon, egg, salmon, chorizo, grilled chicken, hummus

Add Texture With: Arugula, pickled shallots, sprouts, thinly sliced jalapenos, radishes

Finishing Touch: Red pepper flakes, hot honey, fresh herbs, “Everything but the Bagel Seasoning”

There you have it! It is a great dish to get creative and experiment with new flavor combinations and cooking methods. Comment below your favorite ways and tips to enjoy avocado toast.