Toast of the Town
Sometimes food trends make me laugh. Recently I have been rather amused by the phenomenon known as Avocado Toast.

Why is this a thing? It’s tasty to be sure, but avocado toast is not a totally new discovery. To my knowledge, people have been spreading avocado on toast for quite some time. Is it a spoiled Californian thing? I mean we do take our immediate access to tasty avocados for granted but, really?

To be fair, what I am seeing on menus and online is not just a smear of avocado on some sourdough. There are plenty of twists and creative combinations and sprinkled with exotic herbs and spices—even some with carefully poached eggs—now that sounds super good.

No matter where you stand on the craze, avocado toast is a great option for breakfast or brunch or any time, really. So, next time you grab your favorite loaf and a ripe Haas, congratulate yourself for being a culinary visionary. And, enjoy….

Now, one might argue that you don’t need a recipe to make avocado toast, and that’s a good point! However, the basic recipe is a showcase for ingredients, so you want the best available.

Those hipster joints that sell avocado toast for $4 a slice are really selling you amazing homemade bread and great avocados. If your ambitions lie in baking your own loaf, we recommend this Hearty White Sandwich Bread or this Vermont Whole Wheat Oatmeal Honey Bread. If not, pick up a big loaf of crusty bread, perhaps from Acme Bread Company.

Avocado Toast
Here is our recipe for a basic Avocado Toast. There are countless variations, and here we  recommend a few of our favorites. Be creative!
Yields one Serving

Ingredients
1 slice of good bread
1/3 to 1/2 ripe avocado
Flaky salt (this is where you break out your best salt)
Drizzle of olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Toast your bread on both sides. Smash the avocado onto the bread with a fork, and top with a generous pinch of salt.

Toppings
From here, you can add other toppings. Some suggestions are:
A squirt of fresh lemon on lime
Sliced radishes
One sunny-side-up egg or poached
Mango-Papaya Salsa
Peach and Cucumber Salsa
Smoked salmon and thinly-sliced red onion
Pesto
Chimichurri
Crumbled goat cheese or feta