"Almost" Old Bread {breadcrumbs & croutons}

Here at the Winnie Residence we try to not let anything go to waste. Something that I'm guilty of doing is throwing away bread when there's only a few slices left in the bag.

 I mean, who eats the heels anyway? Gross! So today I figured I would transform my "almost" old bread into two things that we use often: breadcrumbs and croutons.

Breadcrumbs

You'll Need:

Several slices of bread

Toaster

Food processor

Spices (oregano, salt, pepper)

First, toast your bread on a med-high setting. I set my toaster to 4 and it goes up to 6. 

When they're done, break each piece into big chunks and place in your food processor. Blend until the bread is finely ground.

Should look something like this:

Now decide how you want to store your breadcrumbs. I've read a couple different opinions on how to do this. Some people say you can store homemade breadcrumbs in a dry, air-tight container in your pantry, but I'm not convinced. I mean, just because it's ground up doesn't change the fact that it's still bread...and bread gets moldy! I could be wrong though. Any experience with this?

Anyway, I stumbled upon this post by Martha Stewart and decided to go with her freezing method. Martha's been doing this for years, so I trust her ;) 

If you plan on freezing yours as well, carefully pour the contents into a freezer bag and add desired spices. I eyeballed a bit of salt, pepper, oregano, and garlic powder. 

If you want more of a Cajun flavor you could add Tony Chachere (I love saying that!) Creole Seasoning instead of oregano. 

Seal your bag so it's air-tight, label, & place in your freezer!

Alright, on to the next food project.

Croutons

You'll Need:

Several slices of bread

Knife

Cutting Board

EVOO

Spices (oregano, salt, pepper)

Start by cutting your bread lengthwise into long strips. 

Do the same thing on the other side until you end up with square chunks like these. If you want smaller croutons, cut your strips into skinnier pieces both ways. 

Set your oven to Broil.

While that's heating up, pour croutons into a plastic bag. Lightly drizzle in EVOO and spices. Give it a good couple of shakes until all croutons are coated evenly. 

Empty croutons onto a baking pan and place in the oven. DON'T leave the kitchen! These only take 1-2 minutes on each side to turn a nice, golden brown color. Any longer and they will be burned to a crisp. Yes, I'm speaking from first-hand experience. ;)

Voila!

I'm going to assume that Martha Stewart's storage method is best for croutons as well, but since my husband is on a salad diet, these are going to be stored in the pantry. Enjoy!