Fancy Baked Beans on Toast

A classic breakfast in England – beans on toast is filling, comforting, and really cheap. This recipe makes it a bit posher by making the beans from scratch and using some lovely grilled sourdough bread instead of sliced white. This takes some planning and prep but it will elevate your beans on toast game. Show off for friends and family and leave those canned Heinz in the cupboard.

Ingredients:

250g Dried Navy, Great Norther, or Haricot Beans
1L of Chicken or Vegetarian Stock
1L Cups Water
2 Garlic Cloves crushed
1 White Onion finely chopped
1 Jalapeño finely chopped
235ml Ketchup
4 tbsp Brown Sugar
2 tbsp Vinegar
2 tbsp Dijon Mustard
2 tbsp Tomato Puree
A Few Slices of Sourdough Bread
Olive Oil
Water to soak the beans

Method:

1. In a large bowl place the dried beans and cover with a large amount of water. Leave to soak overnight at room temperature.
2. Finely chop a white onion, jalapeño, and crush two cloves of garlic.
3. In a large pot heat about a tablespoon of olive oil and fry the garlic for a minute. Add in the white onion and jalapeño and cook until the onions soften.
4. Pour in the beans, stock, and water. Bring to a boil and then turn it all the way down to low.
5. Add in the ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, tomato puree, mustard, and a large pinch of salt and mix.
6. Cover the beans and leave them to gently simmer for 3 hours stirring occasionally.
7. When the beans are soft and the sauce has thickened turn the heat off and let the beans sit for about 10 minutes before serving or leave to cool and place in the fridge to serve another day.
8. Slice 2 pieces of sourdough bread per person and brush with olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt.
9. Heat a griddle pan and press the bread onto the griddle. Flip it over when it is toasted and with some griddle char marks on it. Pour over the cooked beans and enjoy!