Bread Machines For Dummies (19 page)
Read Bread Machines For Dummies Online
Authors: Glenna Vance,Tom Lacalamita
Ah, ah, ahâyou need not throw out that stale bread. It still has many good uses: crumbs for casserole topppings, croutons for salads, cubes for stuffings, crusts for thickening sauces. Or . . . you can feed the woodland animals.
When Glenna was testing breads for this cookbook, she would end up with so many breads that she ended up feeding the squirrels. By the time she was finished she had several families visiting for their handout. Her only concern was they would become dependent on this free lunch and when her project was over, they would starve. They could probably survive on their body fat until they realized they would have to go back to foraging for their food.
If you have stale slices of bread, turn them into crumbs. Lay them out on a cookie sheet and place it in a 200° oven for an hour or so until they seem completely dry. If you have a food processor, use it to turn these dry slices of bread into crumbs. Otherwise, place slices in a self-sealing plastic bag; close, pressing out as much air as possible. Use a rolling pin to roll over the outside of the bag to turn the slices into crumbs. Freeze the crumbs in a small freezer bag. They will not stick together and can be used in a moment's notice for breading fish or poultry before frying or adding to ground meat in meat loaf or meatball recipes.
You can get mighty fancy and season the crumbs. Use melted butter to help the crumbs absorb the seasoning. Add your choice of herbs to the melted butter and toss in the bread crumbs. A generic recipe proportion would be 1/3 cup butter to 1 cup of breadcrumbs. Melt the butter with the herbs in a skillet, toss in the crumbs, and stir over medium heat until the crumbs are golden brown and have absorbed the butter.
Top ordinary casseroles with seasoned bread crumbs and you'll think it a gourmet creation. An example would be the standard macaroni and cheese casserole. Topped with seasoned bread crumbs, it looks intriguing and appetizing, and it tastes great. For this casserole, you could season 1/2 cup bread crumbs with 2 1/2 tablespoons of butter, 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder, and 1 teaspoon of dried parsley.
Dress up any salad with your homemade croutons. They are so easy to make, you'll always have them ready to serve.
First, lightly brush slices of bread with olive oil. You can cut your bread into cubes any size you like; lay them out on a cookie sheet and toast in a preheated 375° oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until crisp. They are especially good warm on a cold, crisp salad.
Store your croutons in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
If you can slice bread, you can cube it and let it dry out. That's all there is to making bread for stuffings or dressings. After it is cubed and dried, freeze it until you need it. And homemade bread makes wonderful stuffing. For rich delicious stuffings, mix all kinds of bread cubes together (rye, whole wheat, onion dill, challah).
If you have a sauce that is too thin, drop bread crusts into the sauce and let it set for approximately ten minutes so the bread will absorb the sauce. Whisk with a fork or wire whisk. Pronto! Thicker sauce.
Bread Automatically with the Push of a Button
In this part . . .
H
ere's the heart and soul of the book. Roll up your sleeves, put on your apron (although you really don't need to since making bread in a machine isn't messy), and get started using these quick and easy recipes for great homemade loaves of bread. We also show you how to use your bread machine to make the dough which you will shape into bakery-like creations to bake in your oven, thus capturing the admiration of your family and friends.
Basic Breads
In This Chapter
Breads for sandwiches
Hearty breads
Light breads
Tasty breads
Good Old American Sandwich Bread
Soft White Bread
Milwaukee Beer Bread
Buttermilk Farm Bread
Irish Potato Bread
Risotto Bread
Hearty White Bread
Light Rye Bread
Onion Dill
Mediterranean Bread
Light Wheat Bread
