Honey Butter Toast Recipe (Japanese)

Honey Butter Toast Recipe (Japanese) - This honey butter toast recipe is incredible. Essentially it is a slice of baked sweet honey butter toast that is cooked till golden brown. Resulting in a gorgeously crunchy outside and a warm, soft and luscious middle. It can be topped with ice cream, chocolate treats and fruit but it can be served plain too! If you love this one, give  these Honey Butter Crumpets or these Honey Butter Croissants a go.

Jump to:

• Recipe Snapshot
• Crispy Japanese Honey Butter Toast
• Why You'll Love This Recipe
• The Story Behind Honey Butter Toast
• Ingredients in Honey Toast Recipe
• Recipe Testing Notes
• How to make it
• What To Serve with Honey Toast
• Variations
• Top Tips
• Storage
• 📖 Recipe
• What To Serve with Honey Toast
• Variations
• Top Tips
• Storage
• 📖 Recipe

Recipe Snapshot

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 16 minutes
Cooling: 10 minutes
Total: 36 minutes
Serves: 5 thick slices from a small loaf, 12 from a large loaf
Cuisine: Japanese
Difficulty: Easy
Best for: Dessert, afternoon tea, brunch

Crispy Japanese Honey Butter Toast

Golden and crisp on the outside, soft and buttery in the middle, Japanese Honey Butter Toast is one of those recipes that tastes far more luxurious than the effort it takes to make.

Honey Butter Toast was popularised by Arome Bakery in London but the original recipe stems from Japan and ever since I tried it, I could not get it out of my head.

With it's caramel like crispy golden exterior and its warm soft sweet middle, this is one of the best baked goods ever. What's more, it is ready to eat in 35 minutes!

Honey Toast is made with Milk/Hokkaido Bread (Japanese Milk Bread). I tend to make my own. You can also use Brioche Bread.

The bread is cut into thick slices and is brushed all over with a warm honey butter mixture. It is then baked and left to cool for a few minutes before serving.

I promise you that once you have it, you will want to make it time and time again!

It can be topped with all manner of sweet treats such as Ice Cream, Chocolate, Berries but I prefer it plain.

It reminds me a little of Shibuya Toast which is a popular Japanese dessert that originated in Shibuya, Tokyo. 

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Crispy caramelised edges with a soft centre
• Uses just a handful of pantry ingredients
• Ready in around 35 minutes
• Perfect for brunch or dessert
• Easy to customise with your favourite toppings
• Feels like something from a Japanese bakery

The Story Behind Honey Butter Toast

Although many people in the UK discovered Honey Butter Toast through London's popular Arome Bakery, the idea comes from Japan's café culture.

Japanese bakeries have long celebrated shokupan, their famously soft milk bread. One of the simplest ways to enjoy it is brushed generously with honey butter before baking until crisp.

The recipe also shares its roots with Shibuya Toast, a dessert that originated in Tokyo's Shibuya district. While Shibuya Toast is often served as a whole hollowed loaf piled high with fruit, ice cream and whipped cream, Honey Butter Toast is its simpler everyday cousin. Thick slices are baked until beautifully caramelised and enjoyed warm, either plain or with a few carefully chosen toppings.

Ingredients in Honey Toast Recipe

The ingredients in this honey toast are minimal and pretty simple.

Shokupan (Japanese Milk Bread)

If you are not making your own Shokupan bread or can't buy any locally, I suggest buying Brioche or Pain De Mie Bread for a similar result.

Shokupan has a fine, fluffy crumb that stays wonderfully soft inside while the outside turns crisp.

Cut into thick bread slices, about 1 ½ to 2 inches.

Butter

Butter creates the rich caramelised coating. Either salted or unsalted works. If using salted butter, reduce or omit the added salt.

Honey

Choose a mild floral honey that complements rather than overwhelms the bread. Runny honey spreads more evenly over the loaf.

Light Brown Sugar

Brown sugar helps create that glossy caramelised crust and adds gentle toffee notes.

Flaky Sea Salt

Just a pinch balances the sweetness and makes the butter taste richer.

Optional Toppings

Ice Cream

Vanilla Ice Cream, Chocolate or any flavour you like!

Fruit

Berries and Bananas work best. You can also add a compote if you like.

Blueberry compote or Raspberry compote are delicious served on honey toast.

Chocolate Treats

Mikado or Pocky. Chocolate fingers, Crumbled Oreos or Chocolate Digestives.

Spreads or Syrups

Nutella, Melted Chocolate, Caramel, Agave, Maple Syrup.

Recipe Testing Notes

This recipe took several rounds of testing to get the texture just right.

What worked
✓ Thick slices around 4 to 5 cm
✓ Shokupan and brioche both produced excellent results
✓ Cooling the toast before serving gave the crispest crust
✓ Covering every side with honey butter produced even caramelisation

What didn't
✗ Thin sandwich bread dried out too quickly
✗ Serving immediately from the oven meant the coating hadn't fully crisped
✗ Too much honey caused burning before the bread finished baking

How to make it

This recipe is as simple as it gets. Here is what you need to do:

Preheat oven to 180 C/360 F/Gas Mark 4.

Cut Bread into 1.5 - 2 inch slices. I got 5 slices from 1 loaf.

Combine Butter, Brown Sugar, Honey and a pinch of Salt in a small bowl and mix to form a smooth paste.

Cut off the crusts from each side to create straight edges.

Use a palette knife or bread knife to brush the honey butter all over the bread including sides.

Place in a tray lined with baking paper/parchment paper. Or on a wire rack over a baking tray.

Bake in the preheated oven for 8 minutes.

Then carefully using tongs, to flip the toast and bake for 8 more minutes.

Allow to cool for a couple of minutes and then remove and set aside to cool on a cooling rack for 10 - 15 minutes and serve plain or with toppings of your choice.

The version below was made with store brought brioche

What To Serve with Honey Toast

• This recipe can be served alone but it is delicious served with a scoop of Ice Cream.
• Or serve it with whipped Double Cream (Heavy Cream) and a drizzle of Salted Caramel.
• You can also serve it with a hot drink such as Chai or Coffee.

Variations

• Use Demerara Sugar in place of Light Brown Sugar for extra crunch.
• Try a mild flavoured honey for an additional layer of flavour.
• Add toppings such as Dubai Chocolate - Pistachio, Kataifi and Chocolate (like we add to our Dubai Brownies), Roast Nuts, Tahini and Date Molasses or a Fruit Coulis with Cream.

Top Tips

• Make sure to let the Toast cool for 15 minutes before eating for maximum crunch.
• When you remove it from the oven, don't touch it directly as the Honey Sugar mixture will be HOT!
• When turning the Toast midway, do it carefully and with tongs.
• Spread the butter right to the edges.

Storage

Honey Toast is best made and served fresh as it does soften with time.

The bread can be made in advance and set aside for 2 day before making into honey toast.

If you do have leftovers, I would suggest that you store them in an airtight container for no longer then a day.

To reheat, bake them at 180 C/360 F/Gas Mark 4 for 1 - 2 minutes before serving. You can also reheat in a frying pan with some butter and a drop of oil.

More Recipes you may like:

Honey Butter Crumpets (Japanese Inspired) - A similar vibe but with crumpets.

Honey Butter Croissants - This works very well because the Croissants are already rich in Butter.

Shibuya Toast

Korean Garlic Bread - Think Cheesy, Garlikcy Bread amplified.

Korean Egg Drop Sandwich with Sweet Mayo - So easy and so delicious.

Korean Egg Drop Sandwich with Beef Bulgogi - Tender Beef sandwiched in soft Bread. What's not to like?!

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