A crunchy treat to make when you have a lot of leftover egg whites from making something like ice cream - and it goes very well with the ice cream too! To save electricity, use an old fashioned hand crank mixer - you get a lot of exercise this way. This is a two stage recipe that requires freezing overnight before the final stage.
Ingredients (makes 1: 9x5 inch loaf)
- 6 egg whites
- dash salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup whole almonds, unblanched brown, roasted if desired
Instructions for Almond Meringue Toast
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 9x5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper - no oil, you want the loaf to climb up the pan.
Whip egg whites with salt until foamy.
While whipping add sugar gradually to egg whites. Whip to stiff peaks. If using an electric mixer, whip at less than the top speed of the mixer and don't wory about over mixing, this recipe has enough sugar that you can't over whip. If using a hand cranked mixer, change cranking hands often and mix until the mixer will not turn anymore!
Sift flour. Fold flour into the eggs. Fold in almonds. Scrape into loaf pan.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes until top is browned. Allow to cool then wrap and freeze overnight.
Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Using a serated knife, slice thin slices of loaf - as thin as possible, about 1/4 inch or less. Place as many slices as you want to cook at once on the baking sheets, I usually cut 1/2 of the loaf into slices and then put the rest back in the freezer for another time.
Bake at 200 degrees F for 20 to 60 minutes until slightly browned. Yes, this is a wide range of time. The key is to have crisp and dry toast, turn them over after 20 minutes to check for this. It depends upon the weather how long this will take! On a rainy day in Vancouver, it could take a full 60 minutes to dry out these toasts.