What is Trenary Toast?

Trenary Toast is a Finnish-style rusk, a twice-baked, shelf-stable bread that has been made in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula since 1928. If you’re new to it, the first thing people tell you is to dunk it. Traditionally, that means dunking it in your morning coffee, which softens the hard, crispy toast. 

This recipe takes that same idea and runs with it. The egg wash acts just like that coffee dunk; it rehydrates and softens the toast, and then the butter and heat do the rest, caramelizing the cinnamon-sugar topping into a golden crust. The result is French toast that’s custardy on the inside, caramelized on the outside, and already perfectly spiced. No cinnamon, no sugar, no vanilla needed. Trenary Toast does all the work.

If you’ve ever wondered what to do with a bag of Trenary Toast beyond your morning coffee, this is your answer.  Four ingredients, one pan, zero complicated steps. The hardest part is waiting for it to finish cooking.

Recipe Card

Yield: 16 slices (1 full bag of Trenary Toast)

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 bag of your favorite Trenary Toast (we used cinnamon)

• 2 eggs

• 1 cup milk of choice 

• Salted butter, for cooking

Instructions

1. Gather your ingredients. 

2. Crack 2 eggs into a wide, shallow bowl and whisk until fully combined. Add 1 cup milk and whisk together until smooth.

3. Heat a small pad of salted butter in a skillet over medium-low heat until melted and lightly bubbling.

4. Place one piece of Trenary Toast into the egg wash for 20 seconds, flipping halfway through to coat both sides evenly. Place immediately into the hot buttered pan. Repeat with remaining pieces, working in batches.

5. Cook each piece for 3–5 minutes per side. The cinnamon-sugar topping will caramelize into a golden crust — that’s what you’re looking for.

6. Serve hot. We love ours with real local maple syrup from Rapid River — available on our website — but it’s delicious enough to enjoy completely plain.

Notes

• Vegan option: Use Vanilla, Plain, or Sugar Trenary Toast with any plant milk. Substitute the eggs with a flax egg (1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water, rested 5 minutes). Swap butter for vegan butter or coconut oil.

• Don’t rush the heat: Medium-low is key. Too hot and the egg wash burns before the sugar caramelizes.