Sizzler is closing all their restaurants in Australia – here’s how to REALLY make the Cheese Toast

Collins Food International has made the sad announcement that they will close the remaining Sizzler stores in Australia before the end of the year. That’s big news in and of itself, but now where will we get that delicious cheesy Sizzler toast from?

First, the news. Sizzler stores have been closing across Australia for several years, however the final nine stores located in Queensland, Western Australia and New South Wales will close by November 15th. 

Staff at the stores will receive redundancy packages, while others have been offered jobs at other locations operated by Collins Food International which include KFC and Taco Bell.

Of course the announcement has been big, and for most Aussies, the first thought is: How will I get my Sizzler toast? 

I’ve seen several stories over the years on how to prepare this delicacy, and they’ve been close. As a former Sizzler employee who used to prep multiple trays of Sizzler Toast daily (and who still has their training manual with the recipe), I can tell you exactly what the official recipe is.

The ingredients are simple, and so is the method. I used to make this in bulk, but the ratios scale pretty well. 

Ingredients:

• 5kg Margarine (Room Temperature)
• 1.5kg Parmesan Cheese
• Thick Cut Bread

Note: We used to use a high quality shaved parmesan, although a nice pecorino works pretty well too. Sizzler used to have their own bread delivered, though it was suspiciously similar to the Buttercup Country Split loaves I had at home.

Method:

1. Add Margarine to a mixer and whip on medium speed for a couple of minutes. (we used to do 5, but that was the bulk mix)
2. Scrape the sides of the bowl down and whip the margarine for a further couple of minutes.
3. Add your Parmesan Cheese.
4. Whip the mixture for another couple of minutes,
5. Spread the mixture on one side of each slice of bread using a rubber spatula or similar utensil.
6. Important Note: Margarine must be at least 2mm thick on each slice of bread, spread must cover the bread so that the bread grain is not seen.

Sounds easy? It’s just as easy as you’d think.

We used to refrigerate the buttered bread until ready to cook, this seemed to ‘set’ the mix a little.

For cooking, the only recommendations I have is that you have a flat fry pan – electric with even heating works best – and some sort of weight to place on the bread to ensure the bread cooks evenly, but make sure it’s not heavy enough that it squashes that lovely toast.

Cook the toast for a couple of minutes, checking it to see when it’s golden brown on top. When it looks ready, serve it up.

I’ve successfully made this at home, and at BBQs on a number of occasions and hopefully with this recipe, you can too.