Doughn’t Waste That Day-Old Bread!
Congratulations to Kim Diaz, Valerie Dantoin, and the Garden Blitz bunch for their recognition and awards received at the recent 2022 Wisconsin Public Service Volunteer Awards!
During the isolation of sheltering-in-place, many of us returned to old hobbies or picked up new ones. Baking seemed to be one of the more popular pastimes we chose to occupy ourselves during those uncertain times. Social media feeds were suddenly filled with images of gorgeous crusty sourdoughs, sturdy seeded pullmans, and swirling marbled ryes.
I wouldn’t otherwise have imagined some of my friends vigorously kneading and patiently waiting for yeast and sugar to perform miraculous magics. In hindsight, it shouldn’t have been a surprise at all – baking is among the most satisfying, sensory experiences, one that enriches the body and spirit much like the savory and sweet scents that fill our kitchens.
For those that never caught the baking bug, it may have something to do with the fact that we have some amazing bakeries in the area. Until the pandemic shuttered many businesses of all stripes, the number of bakeries in the US had been increasing. In Green Bay, we’re blessed with several outstanding bakeries - I haven’t had the chance to try them all yet but know where to go for amazing kringles and sourdoughs!
But as many home bakers know, these wonderful loaves don’t last long. Without the alchemy of preservatives to keep them fresh and moist, bread and baked goods go stale seemingly overnight. What to do with those hardened, crumbling parcels at this point? I used to love feeding the birds with stale bread which, I’ve since discovered, is not good at all. So what should I be doing with bread that’s a few days old?
This month, I offer the first of two suggestions - one savory and one sweet. Let’s start with savory croutons! Before we get ahead of ourselves, however, we should first check to make sure our bread is still safe.
First, check the surfaces for mold. At that point, bread’s not safe to consume. Toss it. (Note: mold caught up with the bread I was saving for this bit so no pics this time)
If there’s no visible mold, does it smell ok? If your bread has a musty funk (most accurate description I can think of), toss it.
Finally, if the bread has a bit of spring left and not hard as a fieldstone, you’ve still got time!
If you don’t have time to make croutons, place your bread into a freezer-safe container or reusable bag and place in the freezer for up to several months.
Croutons
Homemade croutons go well with the amazing salads we’re going to be making now that the growing season has begun. This is my go to for any hunks of Voyageur’s sourdough loaves I couldn’t finish - which rarely happens - and the bread I make at home.
Approximate recipe:
Day-old bread to be cubed
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Assorted Italian herbs (oregano, thyme, basil,and rosemary for example)
Garlic powder
Preheat your oven to 375॰.
You may want to line a large, rimmed cookie sheet with baking parchment but I’ve never had a problem with sticking so I typically just drizzle a little olive oil.
First, pour about a ¼ cup of olive oil into a large bowl.
To that, I’ll mix in salt, pepper, a little garlic powder, and some assorted Italian seasonings like basil, oregano, and thyme. Not too much of each but start small and taste along the way until the spiced oil is to your liking. I like my croutons a bit garlicky and heavier on the basil. Set the bowl aside.
Cut your hunk of slightly stale bread into ½-¾ inch cubes. Too big and your croutons will give your jaw a workout. Too small and the bread might begin to crumble when cut. The important point here is to make sure that the cubes are equal in size so they bake evenly.
Before dumping my cubes into the bowl, I like to give the bowl a little swirl to get some of the oil on the sides.
Dump those bread cubes into the oil and mix them up. If all of the oil gets soaked up into the cubes take a look to see if the cubes are evenly coated. If not, I just drizzle a little more olive oil.
Give one of those oil-soaked, soon-to-be croutons a final taste before popping them into the preheated oven. All good?
Throw those into the oven for about 8 minutes and give them a quick shuffle in the pan to help bake evenly.Then it’s back in the oven for another 8-10 minutes. Keep an eye on your soon-to-be-croutons to prevent burning. No one wants burnt croutons.
Once those are ready, let them cool completely before tossing your croutons into an airtight container. These’ll keep for about a week.
How do you use day-old bread? Share your suggestions and bread-related puns!
