What To Do With Leftover Bread

Sometimes you can acquire an abundance of bread--either you've made, bought, been given a ton and now you have more than you can eat in a reasonable amount of time. Or maybe you've been eating so much bread that it's coming out your ears and you don't care to have a bit more. This is my case. I have made a ton and a half of bread, and I have been eating what people don't take. Sometimes it's a lot, and sometimes not so much. Either way, I have a lot of bread that I need to do something with. While talking with my aunt, she suggested I make bread crumbs and croutons out of the leftovers I don't want to eat. What a genius idea! Now, don't be put off by either of these ideas because they are both so simple a five year old can do it.

Thanks to Aunt Kathy I now make bread crumbs, and here's how:
Gather all of your extra bread (regular bread, herbed bread, anything but something like cinnamon raisin--unless you're feeling adventurous) and cut them into slices. Put them on a cookie sheet and bake at 170 degrees F for the amount of times it takes to dry the bread out. Once the bread is dry, throw the slices into a food processor and let it go until you have a fine powder. You can leave the crumbs as is after the food processor, or you can jazz them up with herbs and other flavors. I like to add handfuls of herbs, onion and garlic powder, seasoned salt, pepper--anything you think might be tasty in the breadcrumbs. Give it a whiff, too--does it need something else? Throw it in! Put the finished product into a plastic bag, seal, and put into the refrigerator until you need them. Voila, breadcrumbs to make tasty meatballs and other delicious foods!

Now for the croutons:
Slice bread the width you might like a crouton shape to be--not too thick or thin. This will ensure the herbs stick to the bread. Once the bread has been sliced you'll want to cut the crusts off--if you don't you might chip a tooth. Cube the slices into the desired shape for croutons. Put into a large bowl, and use about three tablespoons of oil for every six slices of bread.In the palm of your hand dump a generous heap of parsley, a little less of basil and oregano, and less still of thyme. You'll also want garlic and onion powder,and  seasoned salt. Well, that's what I did. If you like thyme then dump in a whole handful! It's really about what you like, so throw in a little at a time and add as you feel necessary. On a parchment lined cookie sheet, put the oiled and herbed bread cubes on, single layer. Bake at 300 degree F for 15 minutes, give them a turn, and bake for another 15 minutes. Your times may vary a bit, but should take between 30-45 minutes to completely bake. Make sure they are completely dried out (give one a taste!), and put them in a plastic bag and save for a scrumptious salad!

 What a great way to use leftover bread! Everyone you know will be impressed, too! Especially after they taste them.