Victorian Bread Steaks are intended to take the place of meat on the plate so recommended serving suggestions are to enjoy a bread steak along with potatoes and green vegetables. Gravy or a white sauce is a nice addition. Bread steaks can also be served as they are for a simple lunch or snack.
Bread steaks are similar in taste and texture to omelettes and quiches and of course they are much like a savoury eggy bread or French toast. The Victorians really knew how to make good use of bread – bread sauce, bread puddings, bread soup, bread savouries, bread in cakes, and even bread steaks!
Dr Allinson’s Victorian Bread Steak Recipe
This recipe for bread steak is from Dr Allinson’s Cookery Book [1858-1918]. Dr. Thomas Richard Allinson (1858–1918) was a British Victorian physician who promoted the benefits of whole grain foods. Dr Allison was best known for creating Allinson’s flour and bread products, and especially those prepared with wholemeal flour as opposed to the more popular white bread.
Allinson promoted a vegetarian diet, and was especially fond of whole foods. His ideas about diet and health were considered radical during his time, and he often faced opposition from the medical professions. Despite this, he built a successful business around his health food ideas, and Allinson’s brand products, particularly bread and flour, became very popular in the UK.
Allinson also published a few books and his writings and public health campaigns were part of a broader movement during the Victorian era that began to question and explore the connections between diet, health, and well-being.
Dr. Allinson’s bread steak recipe promoted the use of wholemeal bread, eggs, and milk as a good substitute for meat steaks for ordinary dinner plates. Since Dr. Allinson invented his creative vegetarian recipes during the Victorian era, the idea of a bread steak replacing meat was very novel indeed – especially a wholemeal bread steak!
Modern day bread steaks
The concept of a bread steak works very well and is perfect for the modern day as it uses everyday ingredients that are easy to source, can be adapted to various diets (see recipe notes below), can be seasoned with any spices or herbs you like, and is quite delicious served with mashed potatoes, roast potatoes, baked potatoes, or potato fries, and lots of veggies.
My family had our vegetarian bread steaks with mixed roast vegetables – potatoes, broccoli, onions, garlic, carrots, green bell pepper, and cabbage – and boiled peas and corn. The bread steaks have an omelette and quiche flavour and texture, probably because they are really a fancy savoury eggy bread or French toast.
My kids requested grated cheese, which they enjoyed, and you can see a photo of the cheesy bread steak cooking below – the cheese melted beautifully into the bread steak.
For more Victorian recipes that make good use of old or stale bread do have a look at our old menus page where you can find old British recipes for Bread Soup, Bread Pudding, Bread & Cheese Savoury, Cabinet Pudding, and Apple Charlotte.
Victorian Bread Steak [savoury eggy bread]
Equipment
- Kitchen knife
- Chopping board
- Cutlery fork or small hand whisk
- 2 shallow bowls
- Fry pan / skillet
- Fish slice
Ingredients
- 3 slices bread can use any type of bread but a nice thick white sliced bread is particularly nice
- 3 medium eggs
- 250 millilitres milk [1 cup] use more as required
- 1 medium onion fine diced
- 1 tablespoon butter or oil, use more as required
- salt & pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Chop the onion into small pieces.1 medium onion
- Add the eggs to a shallow bowl that is large enough to dip a slice of bread in. Give the eggs a whisk to break them up.3 medium eggs
- Pour the milk into another shallow bowl. Depending on your bread slices you may need to top the milk bowl up.250 millilitres milk
- Melt the butter in the fry pan.1 tablespoon butter
- Add the onion and give it a stir.
- Dip a bread slice into the milk and then dip the milky slice into the egg.3 slices bread
- Carefully place the bread slice into the fry pan and fry until it has nicely browned underneath. Season the bread with salt and pepper.salt & pepper, to taste
- Using a fish slice or similar flip the bread over and cook the other side until nicely browned.[You can add a sprinkle of cheese at this point if liked and it will melt nicely in the heat]
- Continue cooking the rest of the bread slices. You may need to top up the egg bowl or the milk bowl depending on how thick or absorbent your bread slices are.
- If necessary you can keep the slices warm in the oven whilst you finishing cooking the rest of the slices.
- Enjoy the bread steak with potatoes and green veggies or whatever you would normally enjoy a steak with! A gravy or white sauce is also a nice addition.
Notes
- Bread steaks are best eaten soon after they are prepared but they can be stored within the fridge for a few days and warmed up in a fry pan or skillet.
- I used Co-op brand Tiger Bread for the bread steaks which was a good choice as this bread is nice and thick.
- Any type of bread can be used for this recipe.
- Variations: Add grated cheese to the bread steak once it has been flipped over. The cheese will melt into the bread steak.
- Or season the bread steak with a nice dash of paprika – or your favourite herbs or spices.
- Add diced or thin sliced mushrooms along with the onion.
- Make it vegan: Use dairy-free milk, and instead of egg use Aquafaba [canned chickpea water], or blended and seasoned silken tofu – if the blended tofu is very thick it can be thinned down with the addition of a splash of milk.
- Make it gluten-free: Use gluten-free bread slices.
- For more bread steak portions simply increase the quantities.
Do let us know if you prepare this bread steak recipe! Pop a comment below! Thanks x