In this article
My English friend Margaret watched me make a grilled cheese sandwich once, butter in the skillet and two slices of bread pressed together, and asked me why I was hiding the cheese. In Britain, she said, nobody does that. Cheese on toast is one slice of bread, and the cheese sits on top where it can bubble and brown under the heat. It is the supper British children are raised on, the thing a student makes at midnight and the plate a grandmother puts in front of you with a mug of tea when you come in cold. It takes about five minutes and one pan to wash.
There is a real method to it, and Margaret is strict about it. The bread goes under the broiler, which the British call the grill, until one side is golden. Then it is turned over, and the cheese goes on the pale side, piled right out to the edges. That way the bottom is already crisp, the top of the bread stays soft under the cheese, and the crusts are covered so they cannot burn. The two questions everybody asks are which cheese to use and how to get it bubbling and blistered brown without burning the bread. The answers are a sharp cheese grated from the block, a rack set a hand’s width below the heat, and your eyes on it for the last minute. Here is the way Margaret makes it.
Why this cheese on toast works
- One side toasted first. The underside is crisp before the cheese goes on, so the toast never turns soggy.
- Cheese to the very edges. Covered crusts are protected from the broiler and cannot scorch.
- Sharp cheddar grated from a block. It has the flavor, and freshly grated cheese melts and bubbles instead of sweating oil.
- A little mustard and Worcestershire sauce. They sharpen the cheese and help the top brown.
- The rack in the middle of the oven’s upper half. Close enough to blister the cheese, far enough to melt it all the way through first.
Ingredients
Makes 4 slices, enough for 2 people as a light supper or 4 as a snack. The measurements are in US cups with grams in brackets.
For 4 slices
- 4 thick slices white sandwich bread or farmhouse bread, about 3/4 inch thick
- 2 cups coarsely grated sharp or extra sharp cheddar (200g), from a block
- 2 teaspoons English mustard or Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, plus a few drops for the top
- Freshly ground black pepper
Optional
- 1 tablespoon soft butter, for the untoasted side
- 1/2 cup grated Monterey Jack or other mild melting cheese (50g), mixed with the cheddar for a stretchier top
A sharp white or orange cheddar aged at least 9 months is the closest thing in an American store to a British mature cheddar. Day-old bread is better than fresh, because it toasts crisper. Check that your Worcestershire sauce is one you are happy with; the classic recipe is made with anchovies and vinegar.
How to make cheese on toast
Toast one side
- Set an oven rack about 6 inches (15cm) below the broiler element and heat the broiler on high for 5 minutes. Line a baking sheet with foil.
- Lay the bread on the baking sheet and broil for 1 to 2 minutes, until the top side is golden brown. Watch it the whole time.
- Take the sheet out and turn every slice over, so the pale, untoasted side faces up.
Add the cheese and broil
- Spread the untoasted side thinly with the butter, if you are using it, then with the mustard.
- Toss the grated cheese with the teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce in a bowl. Pile it onto the bread, pressing it gently and pushing it right out to the edges and over the crusts.
- Shake a few more drops of Worcestershire sauce over the top and add a grind of black pepper.
- Broil for 3 to 4 minutes, until the cheese has melted all the way through, is bubbling everywhere and has blistered with dark brown spots. Turn the sheet around once if your broiler browns unevenly.
- Let the toast stand for 1 minute so the cheese settles, then cut each slice in half on the diagonal and serve hot.
Tips that make the difference
- Grate the cheese yourself. Bagged shredded cheese is coated with starch to stop it clumping, and it turns greasy under the broiler instead of bubbling.
- Cover the corners. Any bare bread showing at the edges will burn before the cheese browns.
- If the cheese is browning before it has melted through, the rack is too close. Move it down one level.
- Do not walk away in the last minute. The difference between blistered and burnt is about twenty seconds.
- Use a thick slice. Thin bread goes hard and curls under the heat.
Variations
- With tomato. Lay thin slices of tomato on the bread before the cheese, the way many British families do.
- With onion. Scatter a little very finely chopped onion or green onion over the mustard, under the cheese.
- With an egg. Slide a fried or poached egg on top for a proper supper.
- With baked beans. Spoon hot baked beans in tomato sauce over or beside the toast, another British habit.
Storage and make-ahead
Cheese on toast is made to be eaten straight away and does not keep.
You can grate the cheese and mix it with the Worcestershire sauce up to 2 days ahead and keep it covered in the refrigerator.
If a slice does go cold, put it back under the broiler for a minute rather than in the microwave, which makes the bread rubbery.
Frequently asked questions
Which cheese is best for cheese on toast?
A sharp, well-aged cheddar. It has enough flavor to stand on its own and it blisters well. Mixing in a little mild melting cheese makes the top stretchier.
Why toast only one side first?
So the bottom is crisp and the side under the cheese stays soft. If both sides are toasted first, the bread is dry and hard by the time the cheese has browned.
How is it different from a grilled cheese?
A grilled cheese is a closed sandwich fried in butter in a skillet. Cheese on toast is a single open slice cooked under the broiler, so the cheese itself browns.
Can I make it in a toaster oven or air fryer?
Yes. Use the broil setting of a toaster oven, or an air fryer at its highest heat for 3 to 4 minutes once the cheese is on.
Put the kettle on, cut the toast corner to corner and eat it while the cheese is still too hot.
British Cheese on Toast (One Slice, Toasted on One Side, Bubbling Brown Under the Broiler)
Proper British cheese on toast: one thick slice of bread toasted on one side only, sharp cheddar piled on the untoasted side right to the edges with a little mustard and Worcestershire sauce, broiled until it bubbles and blisters brown.
Ingredients
- 4 thick slices white sandwich bread or farmhouse bread, about 3/4 inch thick
- 2 cups coarsely grated sharp or extra sharp cheddar (200g), from a block
- 2 teaspoons English mustard or Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, plus a few drops for the top
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon soft butter, for the untoasted side
- 1/2 cup grated Monterey Jack or other mild melting cheese (50g), mixed with the cheddar for a stretchier top
Instructions
- Set an oven rack about 6 inches (15cm) below the broiler element and heat the broiler on high for 5 minutes. Line a baking sheet with foil.
- Lay the bread on the baking sheet and broil for 1 to 2 minutes, until the top side is golden brown. Watch it the whole time.
- Take the sheet out and turn every slice over, so the pale, untoasted side faces up.
- Spread the untoasted side thinly with the butter, if you are using it, then with the mustard.
- Toss the grated cheese with the teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce in a bowl. Pile it onto the bread, pressing it gently and pushing it right out to the edges and over the crusts.
- Shake a few more drops of Worcestershire sauce over the top and add a grind of black pepper.
- Broil for 3 to 4 minutes, until the cheese has melted all the way through, is bubbling everywhere and has blistered with dark brown spots. Turn the sheet around once if your broiler browns unevenly.
- Let the toast stand for 1 minute so the cheese settles, then cut each slice in half on the diagonal and serve hot.
