From my obsession with my Balmuda toaster and thinking about ways to transform a slice of milk bread with endless toppings. Here, I made a black sesame butter filling, inspired by black sesame glutinous rice balls, to go on a slice of bread. It's toasted just until lightly browned, in which case the sugary butter creates a light crust and a lovely canvas to be creative with paper stencils and powdered sugar. All entirely optional :)
Black Sesame Toast
Makes enough black sesame butter for 3–5 toasts
- 3 tbsp black sesame seeds
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- Pinch salt
- Sliced white bread, preferably Japanese milk bread if available
- Powdered sugar
Process black sesame seeds in a food processor until coarsely ground. Add the sugar and salt and process until well combined. Transfer to a bowl. Add in the butter and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined. Spread a thin layer of butter mixture on a slice of milk bread. Bake in a toaster oven for 4-6 minutes, keeping an eye on it so that the toast doesn’t burn. If using a Balmuda toaster, bake at Pizza Mode for 5–6 minutes.
While the toast is baking, cut strips of paper. Once the toast is baked, lay the strips of paper over the toast to create a striped pattern. Dust powdered sugar over it, remove the strips, and serve immediately!
Transfer leftover butter to a small container and store in the fridge.
*You can also grind the black sesame seeds using a mortar and pestle but the texture will just be more coarse. You can also use pre-ground black sesame seeds but the color may not be as dark.
