croutons

When Abe was born, I started making my own bread because 'I could.' I had the time (it takes about 3 hours all together) and store-bought bread really isn't nutritious at all. Well, a year in to consistent homemade bread, I am hooked. We occasionally have to have store-bought bread (church pot-lucks or when we visit friends or family), but I am always super-motivated to come home and bake a couple of my own loaves afterward.

I've found that I really do prefer "better" flour. I can use the flour they generally sell at WalMart or your neighborhood grocer, but the more expensive the flour, the better the flavor. (Go figure, right!)

The newest thing is using the bumps/end crusts to make croutons. If you acccidentally cut a piece of bread short, toss it in the "crouton" bag and cut it up when you're ready for a new batch. It's really simple, and you can do it with whatever ends you have, even if they are store-bought [BLASPHEMY!]. Four ends, two to three tablespoons of melted butter, and your spice of choice (or as many spices as you prefer). So for salads (unless it's a sweet salad), I'll do garlic. For sweet salads AND snacks for Abe, I'll do cinnamon, nutmeg, and honey.

Yay! for new discoveries, simplicity and recycling!