March 1, 2006 - 6:34am
What to do with all the bread?
I think my neighbors are starting to feel overwhelmed by all the loaves of bread that keep appearing at their houses :)
Like most of us here, I find little more satisfying than pulling a couple of gorgeous loaves off my stone. I don't have room in my freezer, and I'm way too impatient to wait until I finish one loaf to bake another :)
So what do you all do with your spare loaves? I was thinking of finding a homeless shelter, or the like, in the area to donate them to.
-Joe
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Homemade croutons are really good and very easy. You can toss them in a bowl of soup instead of crackers or put them on a crisp, green salad.
They keep well in an airtight container or in a freezer zip bag in the freezer. Watch out though - betcha can't eat just one!
Yesterday I made a quick version of homemade croutons: slice some firm french bread into 3/4" to 1" slices, drizzle some olive oil on one side of the bread, sprinkle with garlic salt, onion powder, Italian herbs, pepper, whatever you like, cut into cubes, put cubes on a sheet pan, bake at 325 until good and crunchy to your preference.
Here is another recipe that I use often:
Herb Garlic Croutons
3 TB butter
3 TB olive oil
3-4 cups bread cubes from firm french bread (1/2" to 3/4" in size)
2 large cloves garlic
1 t. plus dry herbs
3 TB grated Parmesan cheese
Heat butter and oil in a 9" by 13" pan in a 375 degree oven. Stir in garlic and herbs. Heat a few minutes. Add bread cubes, stirring well to coat. Bake at 375 for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring once during baking time. Bake until dry and crunchy. Toss with cheese and cool in pan. Store in an airtight container.
When you have extra bread, you could also cube it up and freeze it for when you plan to make stuffing or dressing for a baked chicken or turkey. Add a pan of freshly made cornbread crumbled up and you are all set!
~Teresa