My mom once told me that she cannot bear to throw out bread.
I know she will if it's absolutely necessary, but I think I know what she means...
and it's funny how I've been reminded of that.
I remember when we were living in Brazil, beggars coming to our gate
and asking for old bread. They did not ask for money,
they were truly hungry and had nothing.
In many countries, bread is symbolic of life.
It's the staple around which other meals are planned . . .
be it a loaf, a flatbread or a tortilla.
Our grandmothers quickly learned that stale bread has valuable use.
Did you know that French toast and bread pudding taste better, using stale bread?
I wanted to use up these frozen hot dog buns -
a reminder of the last outdoor wiener roast, months ago.
Not a good quality for either of the above.
I know she will if it's absolutely necessary, but I think I know what she means...
and it's funny how I've been reminded of that.
I remember when we were living in Brazil, beggars coming to our gate
and asking for old bread. They did not ask for money,
they were truly hungry and had nothing.
In many countries, bread is symbolic of life.
It's the staple around which other meals are planned . . .
be it a loaf, a flatbread or a tortilla.
Our grandmothers quickly learned that stale bread has valuable use.
Did you know that French toast and bread pudding taste better, using stale bread?
I wanted to use up these frozen hot dog buns -
a reminder of the last outdoor wiener roast, months ago.
Not a good quality for either of the above.
So I decided to toast them up for breadcrumbs. I put them in the oven at 300 F on convection
( if you do not have a convection oven, just bake them up 350 F) for 20 - 30 minutes until they are dried out and brittle - just beginning to brown on the edges.
I put them in my blender
and had fine crumbs in no time.
Once the blades are covered with fine crumbs,
it is best to remove the large pieces and pour out the fine crumbs,
to start it up again.
I keep dry breadcrumbs in the freezer.
It is one of those staples that is needed when least expected . . .
to top off a casserole, add to meat dishes such as meatballs and meatloaf
or quickly bread some fish fillets or country fried steak.
15 comments:
What a great idea! I had no idea I could use those old stale buns for that! Will have to remember that next time I clean out the freezer.
We do this with the pieces from the ends of our bread loaves. If you have a food processor, it is even faster!
I do this in my food processor as well! But I never thought about putting it in the oven first. Good idea!
Good plan, Anneliese. And if I haven't made the crumbs...I often soak stale buns or bread and then toss in to the mix for meat loaf or meat balls. We never threw out even a crust when I grew up, and so I find it hard to as well!
Great idea! I do the same thing, but let mine dry on the counter for a day or two. Next time I'll try toasting them.
Such a great reminder to not waste food! I've been guilty of ruthlessly cleaning out the freezer and throwing out those precious crumbs!
Exactly how I make them. My husband once rescued several large bags full of bread crusts that were headed for the garbage at church, and I ended up with a year's worth of delicious bread crumbs! They do keep very well in the freezer.
I never thought of using my food processor for that, and then putting them in the freezer. They tend to go rancid when kept in the cupboard. Thanks for the tip.
I do this too. it's the perfect way to not waste those crusts or old buns in the freezer. We were taught well to use everything to the last crumb. I'm glad you shared this idea.
That was a good reminder. There are things that I did when the kids were young and I was at home, cooking every day. Somehow I've got out of the habit of doing those sensible and useful things like making breatcrumbs.
When my local grocery store stopped selling my favourite brand of breadcrumbs, I started to make my own as well. It wasn't until then that I noticed how many unnecessary things were added to the store-bought breadcrumbs to keep them fresh! Initially I thought buying them was more convenient, but it is so easy and inexpensive to make your own and they taste much better!! Thank you for this post, Anneliese!
Judging by the comments...this is a very worthwhile post. Things we take for granted. I usually put mine in zip loc bags but it looks much nicer in a jar.
I do this as well (and think of my Menno Omas and Opas and their waste not want not attitude :))My husband needs to eat a gluten free diet and I cant find gluten free bread crumbs anywhere so I make my own from the ends of gluten free bread loaves I buy and gluten free bread tends to be very dry anyway so it makes for perfect bread crumbs! :)
Great idea...thanks!
This is a great idea and one I am so glad you shared. I will no longer be throwing the two end pieces of the bread loaf away. I like your idea about freezing them too.
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