26 January, 2015
This is another food item that I most often found myself throwing out. We used to buy loaves and they would sit and go mouldy. Children also changed how I approached bread, mine absolutely love bread and could easily eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. This meant I didn't really want them to see bread was always available, so I started freezing loaves. Mostly we use a regular sliced pan for toast and you can just toast it from frozen, you can also do this with a loaf you bought for cutting like a vienna, cob or sourdough. Just slice the bread before popping them in the freezer.
The other thing I make most often from leftover bread is either breadcrumbs or croutons. Sourdough makes particularly lovely croutons, all you need to do is cube the bread, pop on a baking tray and drizzle with a little olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake for 12-15 minutes at 200 degrees until golden and crispy. They will keep in a tin for about 2 weeks. Use them on salads and soups during the week, ideal for bringing to work.
I always like to have a stash of breadcrumbs in my freezer also, they're perfect for breading chicken or pork, as a topping for cauliflower cheese or making a quick stuffing to go with your Sunday roast. I can't imagine not having frozen breadcrumbs in my freezer, even if I buy them instead of making them, they go straight in the freezer.
Most often when I ask my children what they would like for breakfast/lunch/dinner the answer is "sandwiches", made with jam, folded over "likes Auntie Louise makes". Well obviously they can't always have sandwiches for dinner but on the times we can, it's when we have leftover bread to use up. I was off work for the weekend and my daughter and I went to our local market on Saturday to pick up some sourdough. By Sunday evening we still had half a loaf left, and we had leeks and cheese on bread and pizza breads. Both really quick and easy, and a great way to use up leftover bread, leeks and tomatoes. Here's how I made mine, you'll need:
2 thin slices bread, like sourdough, vienna or a cob loaf
25g butter
2 leeks, washed and sliced
2 tomatoes, quartered
2 garlic cloves
half a small mozzarella ball
100g grated cheddar
Begin by melting the butter in a frying pan and add the leeks. You want to cook them for at at least 10 minutes until nice and soft. Keep an eye on them and stir regularly so they don't brown. Add a sprinkle of sea slat and pepper.
Put the two tomatoes and the garlic cloves into a blender and blend until smooth. Add some salt and pepper to taste.
Toast the bread (or not if you prefer) and lay them on a baking tray. Divide the leek mixture over half of the toasts and spread some of the tomato mixture over the remaining toasts. Pull the mozzarella apart into little chunks and put on the tomato toasts, sprinkle the cheddar over all of the toasts. Bake in the oven for about 8-10 minutes at about 180 until the cheese has melted and is bubbling. Enjoy!
