Done well, heirloom tomatoes on toast can taste like candy. The best tomato toast I’ve ever had was when the tomatoes are still warm from the garden. It sounds weird, but trust me, tomatoes on toast are harvest season’s most delicious treat!
Quality ingredients
Like any recipe, a yummy meal requires yummy ingredients. If you make tomato toast with sweet heirloom tomatoes, fresh sourdough bread, real homemade mayo, and beautiful flaked sea salt, it just might be the most delicious snack you make all summer long. You also want to choose large slicer tomatoes that can be easily harvested for the toast. Some good tomatoes to try are Kellogg’s Breakfast tomato, Brandy Boy tomato, Celebrity tomato, and German Queen tomato.
Just one note – please please please do not refrigerate your tomatoes! It makes their texture change and become kind of grainy. That is NOT what we are going for. It also changes the flavor and they no longer have the magical heirloom tomato taste once they’ve been in the fridge. Just leave them on the counter, or better yet, pick them straight from the garden before making your toast.
Heirloom tomatoes on toast: Ingredients
- Fresh sourdough bread
- Heirloom tomatoes (here are the best-tasting tomato varieties)
- Homemade mayonnaise
- Maldon salt flakes
- Freshly ground pepper
Heirloom tomato toast recipe:
Toast the sourdough until light brown. Carefully slice the tomatoes while the bread toasts. Spread a generous amount of mayonnaise on the toast. Add the tomato slices, overlapping them if you like. Top with salt flakes and freshly ground pepper. Enjoy while still warm!
This recipe is simple enough to make while you take a break from fall garden tasks or even out on the deck enjoying the crisp autumn air. Bring some freshly toasted bread out to the patio and enjoy open-faced tomato sandwiches while you enjoy the beauty of the fall garden!
A note on heirloom tomatoes
My favorite heirloom tomatoes for this recipe are called “Brandywine“, “Beefsteak“, and “Mortgage Lifter“.
When looking for an heirloom tomato to make tomatoes on toast, choose a sweet type that is good for fresh eating (as opposed to a paste type of plum tomato). These fresh-eating types are generally plump, round tomatoes advertised for their good flavor. Better yet, ask your local farmer at the farmers market for their recommendation!