People Are Losing It Over This 'Bread Steak' Recipe
If you've seen the words "bread steak" trending on social media, and wondering what all the fuss is about, it centers around a recent Bon Appétit post wherein writer David Tamarkin (also formerly digital director for Epicurious) has been trying to sell the idea that toasted bread can taste like a rich slab of steak when seasoned correctly. Meant for flexitarians, vegetarians, or anyone just trying to cut back on beef, this recipe had good intentions but pretty quickly caused an uproar.
The recipe is basically a savory Parmesan-crusted, sourdough French toast that, according to Bon Appétit, can be used as a substitute for cauliflower steak, seitan, or another meat substitute when your taste buds might be craving something new. Although the toast is lovingly pan-seared, seasoned, and "meaty," Tarmarkin seemed to push the concept a little too far, according to detractors.
While some people might jump at the idea of trying this type of recipe, the description of it being "decadent in the vein of a rib eye" was seen as a little extreme. Some Instagram comments have even requested a petition to ban the words "bread steak" from ever being used again. Others started the hashtag #itstoast, alluding to the overt masking of a normal food.
Why people are taking such issue with the idea of bread steak
The internet still continues to question the bread steak versus toast controversy. Another commenter wrote, "Y'all are really trying to convince people that cheesy bread tastes like steak. ... Thank you for starting my day off with a laugh," while another sarcastically chimed in, "Whenever I feel like I haven't had enough vegetables in my diet I just cut my steak into the shape of broccoli," as noted on Today.com.
Other people took issue with Tamarkin calling it a vegan recipe though it uses Parmesan cheese, which some pointed out is made with rennet, an animal enzyme.
Of course this isn't the first time a Bon Appétit recipe has come into question. As Today.com remembers, in 2017, the food bible conceived something called the hand salad, which was basically dipping lettuce leaves into dressing.
If you're truly looking for a good meatless steak alternative, maybe opt for seitan, which has been called "wheat meat." Although not a flour or necessarily used in baking bread, it is the ingredient that can give veggie foods a more "meat-like" texture. From tofurkey to meatless deli slices, seitan gives the texture that people know from traditional offerings and can lead to more satisfaction. More importantly, no one will confuse it with bread steak.