When it comes to iconic food combinations, it’s pretty hard to top bread and butter. In the recipes below, we attempt to improve on the already-perfect by adding imaginative compound butters and delicious toppings—and the results are insanely delicious. Piled high with the good stuff, these toasts are satisfying enough to be full meals. The best part? Any extra flavored butter spread can be kept for one week in the fridge and up to 3 months in the freezer, so you can upgrade all sorts of future dishes. Read on if you don’t mind getting really, really hungry.

What’s a tastier combo than red wine and steak? Red wine-infused butter and sliced steak on toast. With the help of some aromatics like shallot and thyme, it’s a lot closer to a fancy dinner than your average grab-and-go breakfast. Leftover red wine butter can be stirred into risotto, polenta, or freshly boiled pasta for a boost of flavor. Pot

For an umami-loaded lunch, turn to this toast. Miso and lemon-infused Land O Lakes® Butter with Olive Oil and Sea Salt add richness to this super-savory toast, and crisp, juicy planks of seared maitake mushrooms bring texture. Leftovers of this salty miso butter are perfect for topping fish, stirring into fried rice, or tossing with just-roasted veggies.

If you wait all year for fall to roll around so you can eat all the caramel apples your heart desires, this toast is for you. With a salted caramel butter you'll want to down by the spoonful, plus crisp green apples and honey-roasted peanuts, this sweet treat tastes a lot like the real thing, but it's way easier to eat. If you don't finish it off immediately, try leftovers of this salted caramel butter slathered on warm English muffins or a cinnamon-raisin bagel.

Prop Styling: Heidi’s Bridge; Food Styling: Sean Dooley; Art Director: Hannah Miller; Food Editor: Carson Lombardi

Laura Rege is a Food Stylist and Recipe Developer who regularly contributes recipes and styles videos and photos for Delish. If she isn't in the Delish kitchens, you'll most likely find her out on the town looking for the next food trends in the US and on her travels abroad. 

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