Sandwich bread is something I feel people take for granted. It’s one of the cheapest things you can buy at a grocery store at under a buck a bag (store brand) and yet it can be used for SO many things.
GARLIC BREAD
Its something that may not be as good as getting a loaf of French bread but its cheap, quick and still oh so yummy! Just spread lightly with butter, add garlic power (it’s very easy to make your own garlic/onion powder as well), place bread on a cookie sheet, place in preheated oven (300 degrees is what I use) and leave until edges are brown and butter is melted. Leave it in a little longer for a more toast like garlic bread.
HAMBURGER BUNS
If someone had told me to do this over a year ago I would have thought they were crazy but it’s great! I put mine in a toaster until they pop out then load up with veggies and garden/boca burger (hamburger if you eat meat ;) ). It’s cheap, inexpensive and unless you have picky eaters no one well notice the difference!
HOTDOG BUNS
I don’t usually have hotdogs since tofu dogs can be pricy but I can safely say that sandwich bread makes yummy hotdog buns as well. I just turn the toaster on light to stiffen the bread a little, fold in half and there you go! Again, great if you don’t have picky eaters. My thirteen year old brother wasn’t convinced that it was pretty much the same thing. I only told him “Bread is bread”. When you’re buying white bread and enriched hotdog/hamburger buns… why not put the buns back in favor of the sandwich bread. (NOTE: I usually get whole wheat since I prefer it.)
BREAD CRUMBS
I’m sorry, I laugh when people buy bread crumbs! Why buy bread crumbs when it’s SO easy to make them yourself!? I never buy bread crumbs. Whenever I need to make something with bread crumbs I get a few slices of bread (I usually use the ends for this when my family refuses to use them -- picky people) and place them on a cookie sheet and leave them to toast at 300 degrees for ten minutes on one side and ten on the other. I then break them up into chunks blend them, but I do this in pulses so I get a mixture of powder and crumbs all the while adding a bunch of herbs. I don’t bother measuring the herbs out, just whatever I have in excess and whatever sounds good at that point in time. I then coat whatever it is I plan on making.
NOTE: For spicier crumbs I powder up some pepper seeds. Adding just three or four gives it a kick without being too strong.
Something else to keep in mind is if you have half a loaf or a few pieces that you know well turn before you can use them, throw them in the freezer until you have time to make a batch, that way you aren’t wasting any bread and have something to do in the future.
CROUTONS
If you love croutons on your salad than try your hands at making your own croutons! Use the same bread you would use for your crumbs (or fresh bread!) and use any number of recipes you can find online but I use olive oil and herbs to coat the bread chunks in the oil and herbs place on a cookie sheet and bake for 275 degrees flipping them every eight minutes until crisp.
So next time when you go out to buy a specific bread wonder if you can use sandwich bread instead; it’s cheaper and less likely to go bad if you have several things to use it in!
