Buttered Toast, for tea
Thin slices of bread toasted before the fire, generously buttered while still hot so that the butter melts into the heart. The humble companion of the teacup, inseparable from Jane's mornings and evenings.
Thin slices of bread toasted before the fire, generously buttered while still hot so that the butter melts into the heart. The humble companion of the teacup, inseparable from Jane's mornings and evenings.
I am entrusted with the keys of the tea caddy, and I assure you it is a duty I carry out with the utmost seriousness. The bread is cut thin, almost transparent, then held on the end of a fork before the embers until it takes colour; and the butter — good, fresh butter — is spread while the slice is still burning hot, so that it disappears entirely into it. A cup of tea and this, and I defy you to start your day badly.
- •Day-old household bread — a few slices (base)
- •Fresh salted butter — as much as you like (softness and flavor)
- •Black tea (from China) — one spoonful per cup (accompanying drink)
Buttered Toast, for tea
Thin slices of bread toasted before the fire, generously buttered while still hot so that the butter melts into the heart. The humble companion of the teacup, inseparable from Jane's mornings and evenings.
Why this dish? Jane Austen acted as "mistress of the tea and sugar" at Chawton Cottage: she kept the precious tea caddies under lock and key and presided over the ceremony. Buttered toast, thin and hot, was the simplest and most everyday accompaniment.
I am entrusted with the keys of the tea caddy, and I assure you it is a duty I carry out with the utmost seriousness. The bread is cut thin, almost transparent, then held on the end of a fork before the embers until it takes colour; and the butter — good, fresh butter — is spread while the slice is still burning hot, so that it disappears entirely into it. A cup of tea and this, and I defy you to start your day badly.
Ingredients (period version)
- Day-old household bread — a few slices (base)
- Fresh salted butter — as much as you like (softness and flavor)
- Black tea (from China) — one spoonful per cup (accompanying drink)
Ingredients
- Good country bread — 4 thin slices (base)
- High-quality semi-salted butter — as much as you like (softness and flavor)
- Black tea (Keemun or English Breakfast type) — 1 teaspoon per cup (accompanying drink)
Method
- Cut the bread into thin, even slices.
- Toast over a wood fire, on a griddle or in a toaster until a nice golden colour, without drying out.
- Butter immediately, while the slice is hot, so that the butter melts and soaks into the crumb.
- Cut into soldiers or triangles and serve at once with black tea freshly brewed for 3 to 4 minutes.
How it was made : Before toasters, bread was toasted on the end of a toasting fork before the hearth. Tea, still expensive and taxed, was kept under lock and key in wooden tea caddies; presiding over its service was a recognized domestic privilege, which Jane assumed at Chawton.
The contemporary twist : A dab of bitter Seville orange marmalade on the side, to recall the citrus fruits the gentry received in winter.
Sources : Letters of Jane Austen to her sister Cassandra · Maggie Lane, Jane Austen and Food (1995)
Jane Austen · Charactorium
