Name: Bigly Texas Toast
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 1 unsliced white bread loaf; 1 stick (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened; 5 cloves garlic, finely minced; 2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped; 1/4 cup grated parmesan; 1/2 tsp garlic powder; 1/2 tsp kosher salt; 1/4 tsp black pepper

Bigly Texas Toast

Prep

10m

Cook

10m

Total

20m

Bigly says

Folks. Texas toast. Texas toast is not bread. Let me say that again because it is IMPORTANT. Texas toast is not bread. Texas toast is a STATEMENT. It is what bread becomes when bread stops apologizing for itself. Two inches thick. TWO INCHES. Anyone who hands you Texas toast cut from a regular sandwich loaf should have their toaster confiscated and be made to think about what they've done.

Now the history — and this one I know cold, I've had people look it up — Texas toast was invented in the 1940s at a place called the Pig Stand, in Texas, where else, the name is on the dish. A customer asked for thicker bread. They sliced it thicker. The world changed forever. The Pig Stand should have a national holiday. They don't. It's a disgrace. I'm working on it. Texas toast is, hands down, the greatest side dish in the entire barbecue universe — bigger than coleslaw, bigger than beans, bigger than potato salad which, I'll say it, needs to retire, it's had a long run, take a bow, sit down.

The Bigly version has garlic butter that goes EDGE to EDGE. No dry corners. There are no dry corners in Bigly's kitchen. The crust crackles when you bite it. People hear the crackle from across the table. They turn. They stare. They whisper, 'what kind of king has bread like that.' And you — you just nod, and chew, and don't say a word. That's the move. Hand on heart, that's the move.

Ingredients

1unsliced white bread loaf(or a sourdough loaf, sliced 1-inch thick yourself)
1 stick (8 tbsp)unsalted butter, softened
5 clovesgarlic, finely minced(fresh garlic, the jar stuff is a SCAM)
2 tbspfresh parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cupgrated parmesan
1/2 tspgarlic powder
1/2 tspkosher salt
1/4 tspblack pepper

Steps

1
Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees F.
2
Slice the loaf into six 1-inch-thick slabs. Trim off the heel ends or save them for breadcrumbs.
3
In a small bowl, mash together the softened butter, garlic, parsley, parmesan, garlic powder, salt, and pepper until uniform.
4
Spread a generous layer of garlic butter all the way to the edges on one side of each slice. Flip and spread a thinner layer on the other side too.
5
Arrange the slices on a parchment-lined sheet pan, leaving a little space between each.
6
Bake 6-8 minutes, until the bottoms are golden brown. Flip each slice and bake another 2-3 minutes until the second side is golden and the edges are crisp.
7
Optional: switch to broil for 30-60 seconds at the end for extra color. Watch closely — it goes from golden to gone fast.
8
Transfer to a plate and serve immediately while the butter is still glistening.

One more thing

This is the side dish that makes the rest of the plate try harder. Your brisket sees this toast and stands up straighter. Your ribs straighten the bib. The coleslaw stops slouching. Everything on the plate elevates because the toast has SHOWN UP. That is leadership. That is bread leadership. That is what we do here. Tremendous.