Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-06-11
What to do With
Stale Bread

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Bread Is one OF the items most
commonly wasted in many American
households, say the specialists OF the
Uniut States Department OF Agricul-
ture. This waste is probably due to
the fact that many housekeepers 40
not think of bread as costing much,
and are careless about its use or DC
not know what to do with the edds
and ends frequently found in the
bread box.
Good, fresh bread has u spongy
texture which in time disappears,
eaving the bread dry ana erumbly,
the moisture gradually passing out
thru The crust. Bread little TOO
stale to be appelizing, but not yet
hard, may be treshened by putting It
into the oven tor a lew minutes. Ihe
heat seems to drive the moisture
from the crust back INTO the center OF
o. the loaf, making the crust more
crisp and the crumb a little more
spohgy. Some housekeepets molsten
the surface of the bread and some
times cover 1t before putting it into
the oven, but others think that mos.
tening Injuries the texture Of the
crust without improving the crumb.
Rolls or biscuits which have a
greater surface in proportion to their
size dry out more rapidly than
losves OF bread. 1t Is good planning,
therefore, not to provide more than
will De used at meal or at least a
day after baking. For similar rea-
sons, bread stays fresh longer In the
loaf than after it is sliced. No more
than will be needed should be cut for
any one meal, and one loaf should be
used l. y before the next is cut into.
When the ! cad III eds lreshe ling It
ID a .,oOd ! an to cut ile CURED
klices and put them INTO the o en- lor
q few alinutes just before serving.
Toast is another form in which
partly stale bread can he made at
tractive. In many families lit is
served only for breakfast, luncheon or
supper, but the custom which many
high grade restaurants have adopted
OF serving thin, crisp, hot toast with
the more substantial meals might well
be followed at home. Such dishes as
chopped meat with gravy, creamed
chicken or fish, poached eggs, melted
cheese. cooked asparagus, Swiss
cnard, baked tomatoes. etc, are
served very commonly Oh toast.
Cream or milk toast Chat is, toast
with cream sauce or milk gravy,
perhaps Favored with a very little
Clipped beef salt fish, or other saw
ory) may be used as the main dish
at breakfast, luncheon or supper.
Slices of toast may also be dipped
in water or milk and beaten egg, and
lightly Drowned on hot creased pan
The recipe for this dish, which is
called by various names, is given In
the appended recipes under the head
ing Egg Toast" 1t may be used al
breakfast, and has the advantage OF
making the eggs go further than II
used in a separate dish, or il may be
served with cinnamon and sugar, sir
up, or any sweet sauce for dessert.
Another good way Of using stale
bread or of treating bread so that II
shall not become stale, is to put the
rieces in the warming oven Or on the
back of the stove and leave them un
til they are crisp and delicate
brown thruout. This is often called
twice baked bread and is very popu
lar with children and also with
grown.ups who like lis "crunchiness'
and the flavor which comes with the
slight browning. The rusks which
used to be commonly served like
breakfast cereals in some parts of the
country were made by crushing such
twice-baked bread with rolling pin
There is nothing new in the idea oil
using bread crumbs in cookery, anc
most housekeepers are in the habit
of having some on hand for use In
scslloped dishes, stulIing for meat
buildings, etc. Few realize, however
how much more generally they nigh,
be utilized. Many commercial bak
ers used bread crumbs 10 some extent
as substitute for the flour in many
sorts Of cakes, cookies, puddings, etc
Crumbs may also be used instead oil
flour ana starch for thickehing soups
and sauces.
Any bits Of bread which cannot be
eaten on the table should be saved
and crumbed for use in cooking. Some
housekeepers keep two kinds on hand
One, stale crumbs made chiefly from
the inside Of the loaf and suitable fol
use in the place of flour and dried
crumbs made from any part of the
bread Drowned a little in q very slow
oven and crushed fine. to be used In
Rcslloped dishes, for the. coating o.
croQuettes or other fried foods, oi
whenever erusty. fine crumb |.
needed. TO prevent their growlnl
musty, crumbs should be Kept in dry