"Nancy1" > wrote in news:1141330861.487557.54990
@u72g2000cwu.googlegroups.com:

>
> Julia Altshuler wrote:
>> We have an ongoing problem with bread at the wine and cheese shop where
>> I work. Enough customers want it and buy it to make it worth our while
>> to carry it, but we have to carry a quality product, and we can only get
>> that from a bakery some distance away. They deliver, but they only
>> deliver in quantity, and we frequently have bread leftover. We end up
>> throwing away a lot of stale bread. We'd like to order less, but then
>> they wouldn't deliver. We could order from another bakery, but their
>> bread isn't as good so we'd sell still less. We could order every other
>> day, but then it wouldn't be fresh. You get the idea.
>>
>>
>> The other day my boss had another idea: What if we made gourmet bread
>> crumbs? He asked how to make bread crumbs. My co-worker and I agreed
>> that it was a simple matter of breaking up the bread in a blender,
>> adding some dried herbs like basil and oregano, and spinning the
>> blender. I said we should toast the bread first; she said we didn't
>> even have to do that.
>>
>>
>> Two problems: First, we're not sure if our customers are in the market
>> for gourmet bread crumbs, but even beyond that, we're thinking the bread
>> crumbs would go bad. At home, I keep them in my freezer. If I don't,
>> they go moldy like any bread. At which point my boss asked about the
>> bread crumbs you buy in the store. What keeps them from getting moldy?
>> Good question, so I thought I'd ask all of you. Is it a matter of a
>> preservative that we could put in them? Or could we dry them enough in
>> the oven and sell them in a sealed container such that the mold wouldn't
>> be interested?
>>
>>
>> --Lia
>
> In my experience (not an expert), they don't get moldy if they are
> thoroughly dry before you crumb them up. Don't toast them - just lay
> them out on racks and let them air dry. At home, sometimes this takes
> 2-3 days. I keep dried bread crumbs (no flavorings or herbs) around in
> Ziplocs for a l-o-n-g time. If you want to add herbs and flavors, make
> sure they are the dried variety, not fresh. For instance, you could
> use some "Italian Seasoning," garlic powder, parsley flakes, and the
> like.
>
> If you have the means to toast bread (oven), why not make
> "gourmet-flavored" croutons? Commercial croutons are sold for what I
> think is an exhorbitant price. Cut the fresh or slightly stale bread
> into 1/2 inch or 3/4 inch cubes, sprinkle with dried (note, DRIED)
> herbs, some olive oil, and toast at a low temp (about 275 deg. F. or
> so), stirring frequently or flipping them around with a spatula, until
> they are totally dried through, and are golden brown in color. These
> keep indefinitely. I always have some Caesar croutons in a container
> on my kitchen shelves. I sprinkle with olive oil and then shredded
> Parmesan cheese, toss them around and toast them until they are dry all
> the way through. I just store them at room temperature, and have yet
> to have any go bad in any way - right now, I think the batch I have
> stored is about 4 months old. They have lost no flavor at all.
>
> But the key in both cases, is DRY.
>
> N.


N.,

I'm impressed! Nothing like a slice to turn into garlic bread with a
spaghetti dinner and a salad with croutons on the side, when not wine and
cheese tasting.

Brilliant!

Andy