Newfoundland Toutons
Newfoundland Toutons. Olivia has a new video!! The delight of every Newfoundlander, especially served with melting butter & a drizzle of molasses.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
Looking for more Newfoundland-inspired cuisine?
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Newfoundland Toutons
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 ½ 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.
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Nutrition Information
Yield
8Serving Size
gAmount Per Serving Calories 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.
Hi there, Just wanted to say that this is a dish that is also made in the Netherlands. My mother was from Holland and we grew up eating these. In the Netherlands they are known as Oliebollen. They are fried after the first rise of the bread and cut off the dough in chunks and just dropped into the oil..They are deep fried as opposed to pan fried and they are served with butter and a simple syrup of sugar and water. This was the go to meal when all of us kids were home with the grandkids. Loved by all!
Barry, I love your blog and recipes....
Thousand thankyous from Elizabeth S. of Kitchener ON
Hi Barry, has this brought back memories for me. My mom was born on an island in Bonavista Bay and I visited twice as a teen. It was during those visits that I was introduced to the Touton. My grandmother told me that this was a traditional Newfoundland recipe that she made on bread making day which was always on Thursdays. She told me that our ancestry was originally from Devon England and that in our family the Touton originated from there and was handed down over the generations. We at it with molasses And sometimes jam. And also another treat that was handed down was fried bread. By Wed the bread would be getting stale but nothing was wasted. So she would slice up the last of the bread and fry it on both sides in bacon fat and sprinkle it with sugar and serve it with a berry jam.that grew on the back of the island. I think it was partridge berry but I could be wrong. What a wonderful treat. For some reason my mom never made Toutons when she moved to Toronto in the 1940's so i only enjoyed these treats twice during my teens. I think it is time that I make them for my granddaughters and share with them the family history of this wonderful treat. Here is the challenge....ive never made bread but it is never to late to learn. Thank you Barry.for bringing back this wonderful memory of my Nan.
Nice to hear. Every generation is the keeper of traditions. It is important to pass them on.
Hi Cam:
My family originally came from Devon England, also.
Do you know what part of Devon?
No I don't know where my family originated but my grandfather told me that his ancestors were fishermen going way back and Devonshire has 2 coasts so could be either one. My mom would often say that as a young girl on a clear day she could imagine seeing across the pond to where her family came from so most likely the southern coast around Plymouth.
That's where my people are from!
I'm planning to make a trip next summer to see my Dad's cousin. We have been writing back and forth since I was about 14, my husband and I were there about 30 years ago.
I'm really excited about this trip!
I would be excited too. My dad was born and raised in North Wales and we did a trip to England and Wales back in 1977. Sadly i have not returned since but we loved every day we were there. Enjoy you trip next year.
Thank you so much!
anyone ever made this with whole wheat rather than white flour
in Alberta and other parts out west, we make something very similar but they go by the name 'dough gods'. After visiting Newfoundland and trying, and very much enjoying toutons, we make these every so often when my wife is making dough for buns or bread. Just like the Newfoundland version, we enjoy them with molasses. Served with a side of baked beans, They make for a simple but lovely Sunday brunch.
I am frying one up as I type this. I wonder if it is possible to cook a bunch of these up and freeze them?
I have tried making them a few times and they always "dome" at the top. This means that only the top of the dome gets browned, not the whole top. How do I fix this? Thank you.
On bread making day when I was a child, we came home from school and fried the bread dough on the wood stove cooktop and had them with Roger’s golden syrup. We had no connection to Newfoundland, my father being raised in southern Manitoba.
I live in Nova Scotia and my mom sometimes made these and we called them fried fingers also in Digby my mother-in -law called them dips