Chilli Garlic Cheese Toast

A Stove Top Recipe

What’s there to not love about a loaded cheese toast? Kids and adults love them alike, and there can never be too many! They are great on their own or can be served as a starter or side dish.

These toasts are simple to make and come together in no time. I prefer adding some green chillies and garlic to enhance the flavour. Mixing some finely chopped veggies into the cheese is a great way to  add a little crunch to this delicious snack. Also, it looks so much more appetizing and colourful.

You can use regular bread or baguette (in fact any bread cut into slices) to make these cheese toasts. A day-old bread works best as the toasts turn out crispier. If using a baguette, leave it out overnight (or for a few hours) so it hardens a bit. This also helps to make the toast crispier.

This is a stove top recipe that doesn’t require an oven or a grill.

Use a heavy-bottomed pan and the toasts will turn out beautifully golden at the bottom and deliciously crispy!

Here’s the recipe.

Ingredients:

For the base-

• Regular bread or baguette – 1 whole
• olive oil – as required to brush the pan

For the topping-

• Mozzarella + Cheddar Cheeses – 1.5 cups (diced or grated)
• Garlic – 2 Tbsp
• Green chillies – 2 to 4, finely chopped (or to taste)
• Capsicum (green bell pepper) – ½ cup (finely chopped)
• Sweet corn kernels – ½ cup

For garlic butter-

• Butter – 3 to 4 Tbsp (at room temperature)
• Olive oil – 3 to 4 Tbsp
• Pizza / pasta seasoning – 1 tsp (optional)
• Garlic – 1 tsp (finely chopped/grated)

Method:

1. Slice the bread loaf or baguette, if using, into ½ inch slices. Whether using baguette or pre-sliced regular bread, prefer using a day-old. The toasts will turn out crispier. Also, leaving the baguette out, overnight or for a few hours, hardens it and this also makes toasts crispier.
2. Heat a heavy-bottomed pan/skillet till it is moderately hot.
3. Lightly toast the slices only on one side. They will get light golden. Keep the heat low to medium.
4. Toast all the slices like this. Keep aside.
5. In a small bowl, combine butter, olive oil, garlic, pizza / pasta seasoning and mix thoroughly. You can use any cooking oil but olive tastes so much better. It is easier to work with, if the butter is at room temperature or semi-solid. Just leave it out of the fridge for half an hour or microwave it for about 10 seconds.
6. Mix thoroughly till everything comes together well. Keep aside.
7. For the topping, combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well. Avoid adding salt as the cheese is already quite salty. You can use any vegetables of your choice or leave them out completely. It’s entirely up to your preference.
8. For assembling a cheese toast, apply the oil-butter mix on the toasted side of a bread slice. Make sure to cover the slice properly – there is nothing like too much butter – jokes apart, use as much or as little as you like, but a well buttered slice of bread does make a difference!
9. Top it generously with the cheese topping. Use as much or as little as you like.
10. Prepare all the toasts like this.
11. Moderately, heat a heavy-bottomed pan.
12. Apply a tsp of olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan.
13. Place as many loaded slices, into the pan, as it can hold.
14. Cover and cook on low heat till cheese melts and the bread slices are crispy. It will take about 15 to 17 minutes.
15. If you prefer a softer toast, cook on medium heat and take it off the heat as soon as the cheese melts.
16. Serve hot as a snack or as a side!

Recipe video: