BREAD “SCRAPS”

Hawera Star, Volume LI, 20 February 1932, Page 14

BREAD “SCRAPS”

MAKE DELECTABLE DISHES. AVOIDING UNNECESSARY WASTE. Many housewves appear to lack knowledge in respect, of turning leftovers of bread to good use in preparing many delectable dishes. This entails that in a good many households a lot of bread is unnecessarily wasted. If .to the bakers’ gratification, this means the slenderising of the household purse, and very few of us but must look to the saving of our pennies these days! The efficient cook need not be told that she should always have on hand a jar or tin of fine breadcrumbs for. coating fish, cutlets, croquettes, etc., masking certain kinds of puddings, savoury dishes, and so on. The making of these crumbs is a very simple process; yet very few homo cooks go the proper way about it, with the result that we so often see—a real eyesore to the efficient-cook —friend, fish served coated with coa'rse, uneven crumbs. There are two ways in which perfectly fine and even crumbs may be arrived "at. The first is after having dried thoroughly any left-overs of bread either in a slow oven or on your stove rack to grind them through a fine mincer, and afterwards sift through a flour sifter. This will make them as fine as sandgrains. Another method, after thoroughly drying, is to roll .them on a table or board with a bottle, subsequently sifting them as above advised.

Here are a few suggestions:—

Most thick soups are nicer if served with fried bread croutons. 'Cut .the bread into neat little cubes and fry in deep very hot fat. Drain on paper in the oven before serving very hot.

Trim some stale bread into neat squares. Place in the frying pan after cooking flic bacon and eggs, and fry; golden brown.

A number of small savouries need a foundation of fried bread. Stale bread (but not too stale) may be used for this purpose. Cut .the bread into neat little rounds with a pastry cutter, and fry in deep hot fat. Pile any savoury mixture—such as anchovy and hard boiled egg pounded together and seasoned; pounded sardines, or any mixture fancied on top of each, and serve piping hot. The remains of a stale loaf may b© torn into convenient pieces, soaked in milk and then coloured a golden brown in a slow oven. Bread of this kind is very suitable for those, on a slimming diet. Sandwich crusts are nearly always discarded, yet if .sorted and chopped up they may be converted into a very savoury dish. .Soak them in milk, beat in an egg, one egg to a cup of milk, and season with pepper and salt. Any of the following ingredients may be added according to the type of crust. Minced onion, chopped parsley, savoury herbs, grated cheese, minced meat, flaked fish, etc. Mix the ingredients well together, place in. a well-greased dish and either bake in 1 the oven or steam. Breacrumbs are the basis of most stuffings and forecenieats. Here is a good general one: 4oz scraps of bread, 2oz shredded suet, 1 egg (or part of one and a little milk), pinch of mace, I teaspoonful of chopped parsley and 1 teaspoonful of chopped herbs. Mix | all -together well. Although some people soak the bread first, and leave out egg, substituting milk, the forcemeat will be lighter if made with breadcrumbs and the egg. An excellent way to get breadcrumbs—this, of course, does not apply to the dried variety—is after crumbling stale bread between the hands, to rub it through a colander. This makes the* crumbs nice and even and does not endanger the hands as does the rasping process.

Lino a well-buttered piedish thickly with line undried breadcrumbs, fill up with stewed apple flavoured with, powdered cinnamon. Top with a good layer of the crumbs dabbed over with butter. Put in a moderate oven and bake for half an hour. (A 1 very small quantity of water should be used when stewing the apples.)