Bread may not be the first thing we think of when we talk about stretching food, but why not? Every little bit adds up to something substantial.
I’m convinced there are two types of people. There are those who routinely discard the heels of the loaf and those who use every scrap in the bread bag. If you fall into the latter category, please leave me a comment so I can learn from you. If you routinely throw the bread away, stop! You are throwing away food that you can use and I will give you ideas how.
- Save the heels in the freezer until you accumulate enough and turn them into a big batch of french toast. It may not be gourmet, but it still tastes good and fills hungry bellies.
- Make a triple-decker sandwich with the heel being the center slice. The guys in your life will thank you. They say the best way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. “They” knew about triple-decker sandwiches.
- Croutons – These are just pieces of hardened bread, so why not use the firm bread you already have on hand? There are numerous recipes online, so search a site like Allrecipes.com and look for a recipe you like.
- Cut into strips and top with garlic butter (softened butter mixed with crushed garlic.) Then broil for just a few to make homemade bread sticks.
- Use your food-processor and turn the ends into bread crumbs for meatloaf or meatballs.
Friday’s Frugal Tip of the Day: Before you throw away the ends of the bread loaf, be creative and see what else you can do with it.
What are your ideas? If you use those last bits of bread, what do you do with it? If you still want to save even more on bread, read this post.
For more frugal tips, visit Biblical Womanhood and Cents to Get Debt-Free.
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{ 17 Comments }
Great tips! I save up all ours for croutons and bread crumbs.
Thanks for linking up!
Just this morning while packing lunches I threw the heels of the bread into the freezer to become future breadcrumbs- thanks for the other ideas!
I like to make French Toast and bread crumbs, too. My youngest daughter actually seems to prefer the heels when she wants cinnamon toast. I need to try making croutons some time.
Another thing I do is to turn the heel backward when making PB&J; or grilled cheese. (Those sandwich fillings have a sticky factor that helps this go mostly undetected.) My kids didn't notice the crusty side on the inside of their sandwiches at first. Now that they do know, they don't really mind.
How about Bread Pudding? Here’s an easy recipe that my husband likes:
Microwave Bread Pudding
2 Cups milk
1/2 Cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 t cinnamon
3 Cups soft bread cubes
1 Tablespoon butter
Combine everything except the bread and butter in a microwave-safe casserole. Stir in bread cubes. Dot with butter. Microwave 26-28 minutes until almost set in center.* Let stand 5 minutes before serving, or put in fridge. Enjoy!
*Of course, you’ll want to adjust for your own microwave. The center will set after you remove it by residual cooking!
I love these ideas–I must admit I throw them out, but now will have to rethink that!
I save ours in a gallon freezer bag and use when I need bread for our breakfast casserole. Or, I will turn them into bread crumbs for meatballs.
I toast the bread ends, add butter and jelly. My kids don’t even notice that they are eating the ends, or maybe the do but they have never complained.
I love the breadsticks idea. Use the ends to make a french toast casserole and no one will even know.
Great tips. Thanks for the link on the croutons. We might have to try it!
The other idea that we have that we sometimes do is we save the heals, then go to the park and feed the birds. Not very frugal but my boys love doing that!
You all have given some ideas I had not considered. Thanks for reading and commenting!
Heather
LOL…we just eat it
Turn the brown side in for sammies, etc. Tummy doesn’t know the difference 
I also make the croutons and bread crumbs (why did I ever used to buy them?!), plus I cut them into pieces and save in a freezer bag until I have enough to make stuffing-yum!
Don’t forget the crusts off of toddler sandwiches! They also make good breadcrumbs!
Great ideas! Thanks for stopping by my blog!
~Liz
I will use the heels in French toast and for sandwiches. If a bit of bread gets left out or is going to go bad before we can use all of it (homemade bread, especially) I will break it into pieces and let it sit out and dry until it is hard. I save the dried pieces in a ziploc bag and when I want to make Tuscan Tomato Bread Soup or make stuffing, I have bread ready to go.
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