Leftover Bread- Wasted Food or Money Saver/Salad Enhancer?

One of the problems of living alone is buying bread.  Unless I find a small loaf, I end up throwing bread away.  And I love good bakery bread! 

I turned my problem into an advantage by making my own croutons and bread crumbs.  HOO HAH!  

Olive bread- fresh from the bakery is one of my favorites.  Keith, my youngest son and his son- Travis came up for Labor Day weekend.  I made Lasagna one evening.  Keith surprised me by going by Bleu- the local cheese store in Mammoth that I have mentioned in earlier blogs.  He came back with warm Olive Bread  and a wedge of Humbolt  Fog cheese.  YUM! Part of the loaf was left over which I will cut into half-inch cubes and drizzle with olive oil before toasting and storing for future salads.  

Making your own croutons leaves you with the makings of a great salad and the satisfaction of knowing the bread was not wasted.  You can use croutons in a number of recipes.  Here is the one I made with the leftover olive bread.  

Mountain Caesar Salad

1 head Romaine lettuce

2 tomatoes,washed and cut into bite-sized pieces

Mountain Caesar Salad

1 cup Olive Bread Croutons

Dressing of your choice

Parmesan cheese

• Pull apart and wash each leaf of the Romaine.  Toss any outer leaves if they seem limp. The inner leaves are the best!  Tear (never cut) into bite-sized pieces and drain in a towel. Place towel with lettuce in the refrigerator to chill and crisp.  This can be done up to one day in advance.  
• Just before serving, toss lettuce with tomatoes, croutons, and dressing of your choice. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese just before serving. 

Focaccia Asiago cubes to be tossed with Crisco's Culinary Fusion
 Bleu's Olive cubes waiting for Baker & Olive's Koroneiki EVOO oil

Croutons

Leftover bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Melted unsalted butter or a good olive oil (flavored or not)- the amount of oil varies (enough to moisten but not so much as to make the bread soggy

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Post Script:  Crisco's Culinary Fusions label claimed to be flavored with Italian Herb. When I tried the oil on the Focaccia crumbs- there was a strong garlic flavor but I could not detect any herb aroma.  I used Koroneiki EVOO from Baker and Olive on the olive bread.  Baker and Olive is my favorite foodie haunts in Encinitas when I visit families of my sons Dave and Keith.   If you are lucky enough to live in the San Diego area, Baker and Olive carries fresh breads daily, olive oils and balsamic vinegars (available to taste).  Koroneiki EVOO is a buttery oil with raw pistachio and green olive flavors.  They also have a wonderful selection of cheeses.