Toast

Toast is sliced bread browned by exposure to heat. Browning dries the surface and creates characteristic aromas and flavors.

Maillard reaction: A set of reactions between amino compounds and reducing sugars that produces browned foods and complex aromas. This reaction creates many of toast’s browned colors and roasted flavors.
Bread: A baked food made from a dough of flour and liquid, commonly leavened before baking. Toast begins with bread, whose recipe and structure shape the result.
Toaster: An electrical appliance that browns bread using radiant heat. A toaster is the common appliance designed specifically to make toast.
Food browning: The development of brown pigments and flavors in food through enzymatic or heat-driven reactions. Toast is a familiar example of browning caused by heat.
Caramelization: The heat-driven breakdown of sugars that produces brown colors and characteristic flavors. Sugar breakdown contributes additional color and flavor as bread heats.
Gluten: A network of wheat proteins that gives many doughs elasticity and structure. Gluten helps determine the crumb structure and texture of wheat bread.
Toaster oven: A small countertop oven that heats food with elements and often supports baking or broiling. Unlike a slot toaster, it can toast bread alongside other foods and shapes.
Food texture: The physical qualities of food perceived through touch, chewing, and other senses. Toasting changes bread from soft and moist to firmer and crisper.
Heat transfer: The movement of thermal energy through conduction, convection, and radiation. Toasting depends on heat moving from an appliance to the bread’s surface.
Yeast: A single-celled fungus used in baking to ferment sugars and produce carbon dioxide. Yeast fermentation creates the airy bread structure that browns during toasting.

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