More in my frugal quest

**New-mom-to-be** · 04-13-2008, 11:59 AM

I had half a loaf of wheat bread that was becoming stale.

Instead of pitching it as I normally would have, I made them into croutons. Seems silly in the grand scheme, but I am using the 3.79 loaf of bread up instead of wasting half of it

**latierra84** · 04-13-2008, 12:06 PM

how did you make the croutons? doesnt sound silly at all!

**suki** · 04-13-2008, 12:07 PM

That's Great!

Just some other suggestions for stale bread besides feeding it to the birds:

- bread pudding (really easy to make)
- process for breadcrumbs, freeze for use in recipes.
- french toast (stale bread makes the best french toast!)
- toast and freeze for use in stuffings.

That's all I can think of now.

Good frugal thinking! You're on the right track!

**yankeegal** · 04-13-2008, 12:10 PM

I agree! Stale bread makes great breadcrumbs. Good for you for thinking of another use for it. All the little things add up to more savings.

**New-mom-to-be** · 04-13-2008, 12:12 PM

Originally Posted by latierra84

how did you make the croutons? doesnt sound silly at all!

I tore them into bite sized pieces, tossed them with some olive oil, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder. Then baked them at 350 for about 30 minutes.

They are now cooling and then I will move them to ziplocs.

**Marie78** · 04-13-2008, 01:42 PM

These sound good

**Frugal Cook** · 04-13-2008, 03:32 PM

I make croûtons on a regular basis, especially when I've ended up with excess bread from the local food bank that I can freeze. When the bread is still soft, I make a small stack and chop into cubes, which goes into a large popcorn bowl, seasoned, and then baked. They're stored in large vacuum-sealed bags and put in the pantry.

Bread already hard gets put in the blender, food processor, or if I need to get rid of extra tension it goes into a large bag that gets whacked and rolled with a rolling pin or similar.

With enough croutons on hand, they also make a nice snack to munch on.

**anna021** · 04-13-2008, 03:35 PM

good for you! yes, bread has gone out of site, when I have old french or italian bread my DH loves me to make french toast out of it, add a couple sausage or bacon strips and a cup of fruit, and for us its breakfast for dinner time. Yum!