Bread-Bakers v104.n040.1

Holly wrote re: the storage of bread:
"Unfortunately there are times when we don't go through it quickly enough 
and it turns in to a bread brick sometime as quickly as 3 or 4 days.  I 
usually make bread crumbs with it at that point."

Well now, aren't we the lucky ones.  Stale bread, our stale gourmet bread, 
makes the BEST gourmet croutons in the entire world.  It adds a little 
crunch and variety to your salads.  Of course, if the bread is made 
entirely from hi gluten flour, they will be a little hard.  (my shelties do 
cartwheels for one!)

I usually cut them into 1/2 inch squares before you need a cleaver to do 
it. Store them in the freezer or a paper bag and when you have enough to 
turn on the oven, put them into a plastic bag, spray with a little water, 
sprinkle with some olive oil (about 1 T per cup bread cubes), garlic 
powder, onion powder, salt, optional herbs, shake them up and put them on a 
jelly roll or similar pan.  Bake at 250 for about 30min, turning half way 
through.  Let cool and store in glass jars.  The bread crumbs left over 
from this makes the best coating for chops & fish.  Really crunchy and 
tasty too. As to the storage of fresh bread, I would tend to freeze some 
part of it (in our hot, dry No. Calif. summers). In the winter, the cooler 
keeps it pretty well, wrapped in a paper bag or two in a bread box.  More 
than one loaf or rolls usually get frozen after the second day.

Hope this helps.
Anita Flanigan