What to do with Stale Bread and Crusts

Using up Old Bread to Help Stretch the Household Budget

Jul 11, 2009 Elaine Findlay

As the global recession continues to bite, home cooks are trying to make the most of every scrap of food. So what can be made with that stale bread and leftover crusts

“Crust-discarding Britons waste more than 300,000 tonnes of bread a year” says Alex Renton of The Times newspaper. In this increasingly tough financial and economic climate, many people are turning towards old fashioned housekeeping ideas to eke out their income. So just what can be done with leftover or stale bread and crusts? Some suggestions are offered here.

Homemade Bread Crumbs for Stuffing and Rissoles

There are two ways to make breadcrumbs for later use. The first is to whiz them up in a liquidiser until they are broken up into crumb sized pieces. Then freeze in small batches. This type of crumb can be used to make savoury stuffing, such as sage and onion, for chicken and turkey. The second way is to bake them first.

Put bread crusts on a baking sheet and pop them in the oven on a moderate heat for a bit until they’ve dried out and are crisp. Put them in a plastic food bag and crush them with a meat tenderiser or rolling pin if you have one until they become small crumbs. Freeze in small batches and use to coat rissoles or sprinkle over dishes using cheese sauce for nicely crunchy topping.

Croutons and Bread Fritters

Croutons (derived from the French word for crust) are a tasty and filling ingredient to sprinkle on a bowl of home made soup or a plate of salad. Cut a couple of slices bread into small squares. Take some olive oil and put in a bowl (recommended ratio is 1 dessertspoon of oil to one ounce of bread). Add the bread and stir gently until the cubes are evenly coated with oil.

Put on a baking tray and pop in the oven on gas mark 4 / 180 deg C for five minutes. Remove the tray from the oven and turn the croutons over. Pop the tray back into the oven for another five minutes or so until the croutons are nicely golden brown.

Bread fritters are a dessert dish. Mix together 1 oz plain flour and 2 oz breadcrumbs. Add a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of baking powder. Beat two eggs and add to the dry ingredients along with a drop of vanilla essence and a little bit of milk so the batter is moist but not wet. Drop spoonfuls into a pan of hot fat until golden. Drain and serve hot with syrup or molasses.

Bread and That Old Wives Tale

Over many decades, grannies around the world have urged small children to eat up their crusts because they’ll make their hair curl. If those grannies are right, then savings will also be made as the cost of having a permanent wave at an expensive hair salon will no longer need to be expended.

The copyright of the article What to do with Stale Bread and Crusts in Green/Simple Living is owned by Elaine Findlay. Permission to republish What to do with Stale Bread and Crusts in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Thrifty Ways of Using Up Stale Bread and Crusts

What do you think about this article?

---

NOTE: Because you are not a Suite101 member, your comment will be moderated before it is viewable.

post your comment

What is 6+1?