Newfoundland Toutons. Olivia has a new video!! The delight of every Newfoundlander, especially served with melting butter & a drizzle of molasses.
Toutons. A real Newfoundland favourite!
Originally published on November 5, 2008.
With all the bread baking going on right now I thought I’d update this favourite Newfoundland breakfast treat, especially in time for Fathers Day Brunch!
Toutons: Pronounced tout(rhymes with pout)-ens.
All readers from Newfoundland or those have had some connection with this province, will undoubtedly know what Newfoundland toutons are. Most others will not.
A touton is simplicity itself and perfect simplicity at that. As uninspired as it may seem, a touton is merely a piece of fried bread dough.
Whole wheat toutons are also very good!
While that may not seem particularly appealing, it is an age old culinary tradition in Newfoundland, whose virtues are universally enjoyed by all who have known it.
A crispy outside and a tender slightly chewy inside make them very texturally appealing. In my humble opinion this has accounted for a large part of their long time popularity.
Getting ready for brunch with the family.
Toutons, an age old Newfoundland tradition.
I have never seen anything similar or heard reference to anything similar to a touton in any other place but Newfoundland.
Likely an invention to use up leftover bread dough from the daily baking of bread, which was very prevalent in Newfoundland kitchens until recent decades.
Toutons, original 2008 image.
The dough was flattened into small rounds and traditionally fried in rendered fatback pork. Toutons would then be served with ‘Scruncheons’, which are the crunchy little cubes that are the result of frying the diced fatback pork.
Toutons are traditionally considered a breakfast or brunch item and can still be found quite commonly on the breakfast menus of many local restaurants.
It is much rarer to find them cooked in fatback pork. Likely because modern day dietary considerations have seen an evolution towards more healthy fats.
Touton Breakfast Sandwich with egg , bacon, cheese and roasted red pepper. (2008 image)
A move from the traditional.
The toutons you order in Newfoundland restaurants are far more likely to be fried in canola oil than anything else these days. I confess that I fry mine in a combination of olive oil and clarified butter, a flavour which I have become accustomed to over the years.
The other very traditional accompaniment to toutons, still very much appreciated by purists, is a drizzle of molasses. A pat of butter melting over the top is a tasty indulgence as well.
I use my standard white bread recipe for toutons which you can find by clicking here.
Toutons Benedict
One other idea that I incorporate them into are Toutons Benedict as pictured above or in place of an English Muffin in breakfast sandwiches.
I make slightly thicker toutons than I normally do, split them like an English muffin and use them to sandwich bacon, cheddar, garlic scrambled egg and roasted red pepper. Definitely one of my brunch favourites!!
2017 UPDATE!
One other recipe suggestion, and one I have absolutely fallen in love with in the past few years is this Crab Cakes Eggs Benedict. This could be my favourite brunch ever!
Crab Cakes Eggs Benedict on toutons!
Looking for more Newfoundland-inspired cuisine?
Our province has lots of great food to offer. Be sure to check out this collection on some of our Most Popular Newfoundland recipes.
Like this Newfoundland Toutonsrecipe?
You’ll find dozens of other great recipes like this in our and even more ideas in our .
For more Newfoundland inspired recipe suggestions for both cooking and baking, be sure to visit out Newfoundland Recipes Category.
It’s easy to keep up with the latest home style cooking & baking ideas from Rock Recipes. Be sure to follow Rock Recipes Facebook Pageand follow us on Instagram.
Plus you’ll see daily recipe suggestions from decadent desserts to quick delicious weekday meals too.
Newfoundland Toutons
You can also sign up for our FREE newsletter to know immediately when we add new recipes. You’ll also get weekly suggestions for great family friendly meals and desserts too!
Rock Recipes a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Our product recommendations are almost exclusively for those we currently use or have used in the past.
Visit my Amazon Store for my favourite kitchen gadgets and appliances, plus recommendations from my personal cookbook collection.
Yield: 8 toutons
Newfoundland Toutons
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Newfoundland Toutons. The delight of every Newfoundlander, especially served with melting butter & a drizzle of molasses.
Ingredients
- 1 pound leftover white bread dough, (Approximately)
- canola oil for frying
Instructions
- Form dough into about 2 ounce balls and flatten into 3 to 4 inch rounds, about a 1/2 inch thick.
- Let rest on a well floured surface for 15-20 minutes to rise a little. This will ensure that they won't be doughy at the centre.
- I use a combination of olive oil and butter to fry the toutons in for more flavour. You can also fry them in traditional rendered pork fat if you choose. Otherwise heat about a half inch of canola oil over medium low heat to about 275 degrees F in a large skillet. (Over that temperature may result in toutons with a doughy centre. You want these to bubble and begin to fry immediately so that they don't absorb a lot of oil but frying as slowly as possible is very important.)
- When they are golden on one side flip them and fry for an equal amount of time on the opposite side. About 4-5 minutes per side if fried slowly, with the oil just bubbling at the edges.
- You can place them on a parchment lined aluminum cookie sheet in a 250 degree F oven for another 10 minutes or so to ensure that they are cooked through if you like.
- Serve warm with butter and a drizzle of fancy molasses.
Recommended Products
Rock Recipes a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Our product recommendations are almost exclusively for those we currently use or have used in the past.
Nutrition Information
Yield
8Serving Size
g
Amount Per ServingCalories 155Sodium 245mgCarbohydrates 24gFiber 1gSugar 2gProtein 4g
The nutritional information provided is automatically calculated by third party software and is meant as a guideline only. Exact accuracy is not guaranteed. For recipes where all ingredients may not be used entirely, such as those with coatings on meats, or with sauces or dressings for example, calorie & nutritional values per serving will likely be somewhat lower than indicated.
