Brits reveal the perfect slice of toast: warm, golden, and rectangular

The perfect slice of toast is made from white breadThe perfect slice of toast is made from white bread
The perfect slice of toast is made from white bread | Shutterstock
The perfect slice of toast is made from white bread, cooked to a ‘warm, light-brown’ golden colour, cut into rectangles, and served warm, but not too hot – according to Brits.

A poll of 2,000 adults revealed the most popular type of the breakfast staple, with 52 per cent admitting to being ‘fussy’.

More than a fifth (22 per cent) go as far as saying the way someone likes theirs can reflect deeper things about their personality.

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Just eight per cent like their slices ‘well done’ with a deeply browned finish, while 15 per cent would opt for a lightly toasted effort.

More than a third (35 per cent) reckon toast ‘tastes better’ when cut into rectangles – the most popular shape – with triangles coming second (32 per cent).

While 78 per cent believe toast is an essential part of a full English breakfast, with 19 per cent often using it as a ‘breakwater’ to stop other items touching.

How Brits like their toast

Chris Seaby, who heads up breakfast menu development at Premier Inn, which serves up more than 22 million breakfasts a year and commissioned the research, said: “Brits love a cooked breakfast and as our research shows, toast is clearly a staple.

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“Millions of pieces are tucked into each day and people are very particular about their ideal slice.

“From the bread choice to the level of toasting, through to what we put on top of it, toast preferences are very individual, which is why it is so important to offer a good variety of options, including gluten-free.”

It also emerged 35 per cent reckon they’re more likely to sink a few slices if they’re in a hotel, than at home.

White bread was deemed best for toasting by 49 per cent of respondents, with 24 per cent preferring wholemeal.

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A trendy 16 per cent, meanwhile, would generally prefer to stick a modern sourdough into their toaster.

Just under half of toast-eaters (48 per cent) chow down on a few slices first thing in the morning at breakfast, the most common time.

While 14 per cent enjoy it as a mid-morning snack, according to the OnePoll.com figures for National Toast Day (February 27).

How do you like your toast? Take this quiz to find out!

Greg Tucker, food psychologist, added: “Toast is one of the first forays the growing child makes into preparing their food - quite possibly their first venture into ‘cooking’.

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“This is a stage of growing independence and establishing an individual identity within the home.

“Little wonder then that this remains a key part of how we self-identify through our lives as formative choices last into adulthood.

"You leak clues to your personality by your choices - this is a very personal choice so speaks volumes.

“Toast is bread changed to suit us. Our choices - like our fashion sense, our friends and our favourite books are all a reflection of our personality.

"They are signals of identity - they can be read by others - now find out what they are reveal about you.”

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