This delicious honey toast is an easy version of Shibuya or Shokudo honey toast, an Asian favorite of thick fluffy bread spread with butter, cinnamon and honey, and baked until crispy and golden on the outside.
Honey toast is also known as brick toast, since it’s so thick! Using an air fryer means you can make these delicious toasts in no time, really easily, and have one of best breakfasts or desserts you’ve tried.
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What is honey toast?
Also known as Shibuya toast, due to the district in Japan that it originated in, it’s a very popular dessert. It’s a decadent dessert toast, made with soft bread, often hollowed out with cubes cut out of the bread that are then caramelized with honey and butter.
Once caramelized, you place the cut cubes back into the bread and top with fruit, syrups, ice cream, etc.
This dessert has spread all around Asia, with popular versions in Taiwan, Korea, and other places.
Why make this Shibuya honey toast?
- It’s absolutely delicious. The crispy honey caramelized exterior of the bread gives way to a soft and fluffy interior. So good.
- You just need a handful of ingredients!
- My version of honey toast is an easier one, where you don’t need to cut out cubes of bread and refill a bread box. We just score the fluffy toast so that the honey mixture can really soak in.
- I use an air fryer to cook this toast to perfection- the best way to get that golden brown color. Easier than preheating an oven and using baking trays.
- It’s a really nice alternate take to french toast for a decadent morning, or a lovely way to end the meal. This toast is really customizable, with all sorts of toppings you could use.
Ingredients you need:
Butter: You need unsalted butter that you’ll melt in the microwave or stovetop
Honey: I like using a good quality honey, as the flavor is so imperative to the toast
Cinnamon: The cinnamon flavor really enhances the butter/honey mixture
Salt: Just a pinch to offset the sweetness of the honey
Vanilla extract: You can leave this out, but I like the hint of flavor it adds
Bread: Use a thick fluffy bread, I like using brioche, Japanese milk bread, or pan de mie. If buying your bread at a bakery, ask for a whole loaf so you can cut thick slices.
Steps to making this brick toast:
- Melt the butter and honey together. You can do this by microwaving them briefly just until the butter melt, or by placing in a small saucepan over medium low heat.
- Mix in the cinnamon, vanilla and salt.
- Score each slice of bread, cutting six square pieces per toast but not cutting all the way through.
- Brush both sides of the bread generously with the honey butter mixture.
- Air fry at 350F (180C) for 10 minutes, flipping over halfway through, or until golden brown and crispy.
- Serve with extra honey drizzled on top, and preferably a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Watch the video in the recipe card to see all these steps in action!
Can I make honey toast without an air fryer?
Absolutely. Preheat the oven to the same temperature (350F or 180C), and bake on a baking sheet for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. I recommend flipping the toasts over halfway through.
How to serve honey toast:
I like this best with an extra drizzle of honey on top, and to make it even more decadent, a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.
You can get creative with the toppings though. Add fruit salad or sliced fruit or berries, maple syrup, nuts, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, sprinkles, fruit syrups, etc.
Storing leftovers:
I really think this is best fresh, but if you do have leftovers, store them in the fridge for 3-4 days, and reheat in the air fryer for a couple of minutes or in a hot oven. Avoid microwaving, as this will make the toast soggy. You can always halve the batch to avoid having leftovers!
I wouldn’t freeze honey toast, however, you can use frozen bread slices that you briefly thaw on the counter. If you do get a whole loaf of bread to use in this recipe, and end up with extra slices that you didn’t use in the recipe, you can freeze those slices.
Recipe tips and tricks:
- When you score the bread, use a sharp knife, but make sure to not cut all the way through to the bottom of the bread so it doesn’t break apart.
- Brush the bread thoroughly with the melted honey and butter so it really soaks it in. It’s preferable to use a pastry brush.
- Use good quality honey for a really delicious flavor.
- Serve immediately, while the toast is still warm.
Recipe FAQs:
Stick to thick cut bread, like thick brioche, milk bread, or white bread. Challah will also work great. You can even use whole-wheat toast, provided it’s sliced into thick slices. Don’t go for pre-sliced, packaged sandwich bread as it’ll be too thin.
Homemade brioche, like this easy no knead recipe, would be WONDERFUL.
I highly prefer eating this warm, especially when paired with something cold like vanilla ice cream.
Leftovers will last 3-4 days in the fridge tightly covered (I don’t recommend freezing). Rewarm in an air fryer, or hot oven for a few minutes.
For more tasty bread recipes:
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Honey Toast
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter 75g
- 3 tablespoon honey 60g
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- pinch salt
- splash vanilla extract
- 4 thick slices of fluffy bread like brioche or milk toast
Instructions
- Melt the butter and honey together in the microwave in 30 second bursts until butter is just melted, then add the cinnamon, vanilla, and salt and mix to combine. You can also melt in a small saucepan on medium low heat if you prefer.
- Score each slice of bread, cutting six square pieces per toast but not cutting all the way through (see the video for how I do this)
- Brush both sides of the bread generously with the honey butter mixture.
- Air fry at 350F (180C) for 10 minutes, flipping over halfway through, or until golden brown and crispy. Alternately, bake in an oven preheated to 350F (180C) for 10-12 minutes until golden brown, flipping halfway through.
- Serve with extra honey drizzled on top, and preferably a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
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