Stale? Not for long! Photo of ciabatta loaf
by Vincent Talleu | Wikimedia.

Most people believe that when bread goes stale, it’s because the moisture evaporates. It’s more complex than that: Bread will go stale even in a moist, humid environment (details).

Refrigeration doesn’t help: According to Bread.com, bread goes stale most rapidly at refrigerator temperatures—around 41°F/5°C. So keep bread at room temperature rather than in the fridge. (Refrigeration does delay the growth of mold.)

Toasting is a solution for slightly stale bread, pound cake and other non-iced baked goods. But if the product is more than a little stale, it’s time to bring out the “heavy artillery”:

THE MICROWAVE TECHNIQUE

Warning, though: once the bread cools off, it will revert to being hard. So enjoy it while it’s warm.

THE OVEN TECHNIQUE

If you don’t have a microwave but do have an oven, use it to freshen bread, rolls and other baked goods:

1. PREHEAT the oven to 450°F/250°C.

2. WRAP the bread, muffins, pound cake, etc. in foil.

3. HEAT for 5 to 10 minutes.

4. SERVE immediately. Keep the bread wrapped in the foil until ready to eat.

STALE BREAD DISHES

For millennia, cooks have repurposed stale bread, resulting in dishes that are quite wonderful. Popular recipes include:

Turn baguettes or other crusty breads into garlic bread. Photo courtesy Floriole Cafe | Chicago..

 
In medieval Europe, slices of stale bread, called trenchers, were used instead of plates.

If you have a dish to add to our favorite uses for stale bread, let us know!
 
CHECK OUT THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF BREAD IN OUR BREAD GLOSSARY.

Baguette slices dipped in chocolate. These
are topped with a sprinkle of sea salt. Photo
by Elvira Kalviste | THE NIBBLE.

We were waiting for our latte at Le Pain Quotidien when we noticed, among the baked goodies, a clamshell box of chocolate-covered something.

Homing in on the label, the quirky-looking product turned out to be chocolate-covered baguette slices, made from baguettes left over at the day’s end.

Traditional tips for leftover baguette include bread crumbs, bread pudding, bread salad, bruschetta, croutons, crostini, fondue dippers and garlic toast. But we like the sweet treatment of chocolate-covered bread.

It’s easy to make for home snacking (delicious with coffee and tea), to bring to work or as gifts.

CHOCOLATE COVERED BREAD

Ingredients

Preparation

1. SLICE leftover baguette into 1/4″ wide pieces and toast lightly. You can use a toaster oven or conventional oven. Let the toasted slices cool to room temperature.

2. MELT chocolate in the microwave or in a double boiler. Dip one side of the baguette slices and coat thoroughly. Let dry, coated side up, on wax paper. Then dip second side.

3. SPRINKLE before the chocolate dries with your choice of one or more garnishes: coarse sea salt, chopped nuts, dried fruit (blueberries, cherries, cranberries, raisins or other favorite) or seeds (sesame or pumpkin seeds).

4. ENJOY within a day or two; keep in an airtight storage container.

Find more of our favorite chocolate treats.

A friend mentioned yesterday that she was testing hors d’oeuvre recipes for Christmas. With everything else going on before Christmas dinner, if you need something quick, good and impressive, we nominate prosciutto-wrapped grissini.

Elegant strips of prosciutto are wrapped around slender, crunchy breadsticks for a delicious and eye-catching appetizer.

Grissini is the Italian word for long, pencil-thin breadsticks. You can buy them for the easy version of this recipe; or you can bake your own. If you’re baking the breadsticks, start two days in advance to allow the dough to rise.

If you can’t find truffle butter (it adds great flavor), use the best unsweetened butter you can find.

The grissini can be made up to 5 days ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

The recipe was created by Chef Tim Doolittle of Table 10, a Mario Batali restaurant in Las Vegas.

Prosciutto grissini: a popular appetizer any time of the year. Photo courtesy Emeril’s Homebase.

Yield: about 4 dozen grissini.

PROSCIUTTO-WRAPPED GRISSINI

Ingredients

 
*“00” or double zero flour, made by Antico Molino Caputo in Italy, is considered to be the world’s best pizza flour. “00” flour is a very fine flour that is perfect for pizza dough and breadsticks. It is available at upscale Italian markets and online. If you can’t obtain Caputo, you can use another brand. More about 00 flour.

Preparation

1. COMBINE yeast, warm water and honey in the bowl of a standing mixer. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. If the mixture does not foam, start over with new yeast.

2. ADD the sea salt and flour along with the water and olive oil to the bowl of the mixer, fitted with a dough hook. Mix on low speed until a very soft dough forms. Increase the speed to medium and beat, occasionally scraping down the sides, until the dough becomes smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Scrape the dough into the center of the bowl and cover with a kitchen towel and plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for at least 1 or up to 2 days.

3. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F.

4. TURN the dough out onto a floured surface. Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces. Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll it out into a 6-inch circle. Using a knife or a pizza cutter, cut the dough into thin strips about ½ inch wide. Place the strips onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake until lightly golden, 20 to 25 minutes.

5. SLICE each piece of prosciutto in half to form thin strips. Spread a small amount of the truffle butter onto the prosciutto and then wrap the prosciutto around the top half of the grissini.

6. SERVE immediately, once wrapped with prosciutto. Take a breather and watch them disappear into the hands of guests.

WHAT EXACTLY IS PROSCIUTTO?

Check it out.

A brioche bun is a breakfast delight. Photo
by Elena Moiseeva | IST.

Almost 200 years ago, Brie was crowned the Queen of Cheeses. Following the Battle of Waterloo (June 18, 1815), representatives of 30 nations convened in Vienna to reconstruct the map of Europe. It wasn’t all work: During a lively discussion on the merits of different cheeses, Brie was unanimously proclaimed “Queen of Cheeses.”

But what about a Queen of Breads to go with the cheese? None has been proclaimed in the history books, so we’re doing the enthroning here.

The luscious butteriness that makes Brie a queen is the key flavor of brioche (pronounced bree-OASH), our nominee for Queen of Breads. In fact, it already has a crown (see Types Of Brioche, below).

WHAT IS BRIOCHE BREAD?

Brioche is a light, slightly sweet bun or loaf made with eggs, yeast and butter, and glazed with an egg wash. The butter and eggs make it very rich. Brioche is served as a breakfast bread, used to make French toast (better than challah!) and with luxury ingredients such as foie gras and smoked salmon. (Perhaps our favorite luxury food is pâté de foie gras on toasted brioche.)

LET THEM EAT BRIOCHE!

The word comes from Old French, broyer, to knead. The expression, “If they have no bread, let them eat cake,” commonly misattributed to Queen Marie-Antoinette, is a translation of the phrase, “S’ils n’ont plus de pain, qu’ils mangent de la brioche.” The quotation was attributed by Jean-Jacques Rousseau to “a great princess,” possibly Maria Theresa of Spain, wife of Louis XIV (although how “great” a princess is who disparages hungry commoners is up for debate).

TYPES OF BRIOCHE

Almond brioche. Photo courtesy King Arthur Flour.

 
Beyond French toast, leftover brioche makes heavenly bread pudding, bread salad, croutons, eggs in a basket,* fondue dippers and grilled cheese sandwiches.

BRIOCHE HISTORY

According to LaGourmandise.net, the word brioche first appeared in print in 1404, although it could have existed hundreds of years before then. It is believed to have sprung from a traditional Norman recipe, though some culinary historians have argued that brioche is probably of Roman origin.

Want to bake brioche? You don’t have to buy fluted brioche molds: Here’s a recipe for a loaf of brioche.

Check out all the different types of bread in our delicious Bread Glossary.

 
*EGGS IN A BASKET RECIPE: Cut a round hole in the center of two slices of brioche. Melt a tablespoon or two of butter in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the brioche slices and brown on one side; flip over. Crack two eggs and add one to each hole. Cook until the eggs reach desired degree of doneness.

Drizzle with honey: It’s heavenly. Photo
courtesy Bee Raw Honey.

You may go bonkers for a bagel or crazy for a croissant. But let us suggest another breakfast bread:

Raisin bread, regular or toasted. It’s delicious plain, with butter or in this killer combination from Bee Raw Honey:

Fromage blanc and apple slices on raisin bread, drizzled with basswood honey.

You can vary the varietal and the type of honey, the spread (butter, crème fraîche, fresh goat cheese, Greek yogurt, quark).

It’s special occasion breakfast bread.

FROMAGE BLANC: A GREAT “FIND”

Fromage blanc is a type of fresh cream cheese—but not in the manner of Philadelphia Cream Cheese. Depending on the manufacturer, it can be very similar to both crème fraîche and quark.

How soft, how tangy a flavor a cheese has, and other factors are production decisions. Fromage blanc may or may not be low in fat and calories. Because there is no federal standard of identity in the U.S., one manufacturer’s fromage blanc could be another’s quark (see our article on fresh cheeses).

The fromage blanc from Vermont Creamery, for example, is extremely soft, with the consistency of sour cream and a similar tang. It is fat free, protein-packed and has a lower calorie count than other brands. The entire eight-ounce container has just 120 calories. Take that, sour cream!

In France, fromage blanc is often eaten with fruit and sugar as a dessert. It is also very popular in cooking because it heats without separating.

Pick some up during your next trip to the market.

This fromage blanc is fat-free and low calorie. Photo courtesy Vermont Creamery.

Many of us grew up on Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Crackers. Invented in Germany, the crackers were introduced to the U.S. in 1962 by Pepperidge Farm founder Margaret Rudkin (the company is now owned by Campbell Soup Company).

In the 50 years since, Goldfish Crackers have been made in more than 15 flavors and even into different shapes: starfish, Christmas trees and beachballs, for example.

Now, the company has introduced a new snack cracker to its lineup. It’s a more sophisticated concept for an adult audience, but kids will still enjoy the groovy shape and lively flavors.

Jingos! (the exclamation point is part of the brand’s name) are baked and “seasoned twice for an explosive taste every time.” While we’re not sure about the name (more about that below), we do like the snappy, crunchy crackers, made in three flavors:

Jingos are fun crackers for snacks and garnishes. Photo by Elvira Kalviste | THE NIBBLE.

Snack from the box, dip them into plain yogurt, use them as salad croutons, serve them with soup.

Like Goldfish, you get a lot of crackers per one-ounce serving: 23 small crackers per serving, 140 calories.

Larger than Goldfish, Jingos! are the size of a Frito chip. That’s a lot of crunching: You may be more than satisfied with half a serving.

Learn more at Jingos.com.

JINGO & JINGOISM

Vaguely knowing of the expression, “By jingo!” we headed to the dictionary.

According to Dictionary.com, a jingo is a bellicose chauvinist: a person who professes his or her patriotism loudly and excessively, favoring vigilant preparedness for war and an aggressive foreign policy.

The term “jingoism,” an attitude of belligerent nationalism (chauvinism), apparently originated in England during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78. The British Mediterranean squadron was sent to Gallipoli to restrain Russia and war fever was aroused.

The phrase, “by jingo,” appeared in the refrain of a popular song: “We don’t want to fight, yet by jingo, if we do, We’ve got the ships, we’ve got the men, And got the money, too!”

As a result, supporters of the British government’s policy toward Russia came to be called jingos.

What this has to do with crackers, we must leave to Pepperidge Farm to explain.

Classic tea sandwiches are cut into fingers (shown above), triangles or pinwheels. Photo by Bit Boy | Wikimedia.

Tea sandwiches are adorable. Who can resist miniature food?

Those who have made them know how easy they are. They can be as simple as curried tuna salad or sliced cucumbers and herbs with sweet butter. Expensive ingredients are not required.

Nor is special bread. We typically buy loaves of Pepperidge Farm Very Thin white bread and whole wheat bread. You can use whatever bread you like, but the key is to keep it light; the bread shouldn’t overwhelm the fillings.

Most importantly, you don’t need to serve tea sandwiches with tea. For snacks, as cocktail food or for a light dinner with soup or salad, the whole of tea sandwiches is greater than the sum of the parts.

(Otherwise stated, they have much more appeal than a conventional sandwiches.)

Classic tea sandwich shapes include fingers (slender rectangles), squares, triangles and pinwheels (cut from wraps). While traditionally made with two slices of bread, they can be open-face.
 

But you can be even more fanciful and get out the cookie cutters: animals, diamonds, hearts, stars, whatever you have. For a trompe l’oeil, use gingerbread men. For holidays, dig out the turkey, the Christmas tree, the candy cane.

(For the days after Thanksgiving, stave off turkey sandwich boredom with turkey and cranberry tea sandwiches—whether or not you have a turkey cookie cutter.)

Plan on four to six finger sandwiches per person for snacks or when serving a light lunch or dinner alongside a large bowl of soup or salad. Plan for two or three with cocktails.

HOW TO CREATE TEA SANDWICHES

You can start with a book such as “Tastefully Small Finger Sandwiches: Easy Party Sandwiches for All Occasions” (more information).

Or, grab that thin-sliced bread and mix and match from the ingredients that follow. Tea sandwiches should be light and delicate. The idea is “just a bite.”

Pick A Filling

Have some fun with it: Use fanciful cookie cutters to make tea sandwiches. Photo by Kenneth Clawson | Wikimedia.

 
For snacks, you can also make sweet tea sandwiches: PB&J, mascarpone and strawberries, Nutella.

Pick A Spread

In England the bread is traditionally buttered, but we enjoy different spreads that complement the ingredients.

 
Pick A Garnish Or Accent

 
TIPS

Share your favorite tea sandwich combinations.

And check out the history of afternoon tea.

Caprese sandwich, a.k.a. Caprese salad
sandwich. Photo courtesy Hubbard Inn.

Our Seasonal Affective Disorder* kicked in last Saturday—and daylight savings time doesn’t end until November 4th!

But it’s not the diminishing daylight that has us bummed. It’s the end of summer tomato season. Those beautiful heirloom tomatoes, a high point of our culinary week, are gone.

Every Saturday, we’d hit the farmers market, bring home a few pounds of assorted heirlooms, fresh basil and fresh mozzarella, and mix and match the tomatoes in a series of Caprese salads.

As a transition to fall fare, we’ve switched to a Caprese Sandwich, such as this one from Chicago’s Hubbard Inn.

Now, cherry tomatoes substitute for thick slices of summer tomatoes. The classic green in a Caprese salad is fresh basil, but the Hubbard Inn substitutes arugula (most Americans don’t like a basil salad). We do a 75:25 blend of arugula and basil.

And Hubbard Inn customers like meat on their sandwich: The inn adds prosciuto de Parma (also called Parma ham).

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. Slice mozzarella, halve cherry tomatoes.

2. Sprinkle bottom bread slice with oil and vinegar.

3. Layer with ham, mozzarella, arugula, basil and tomatoes/tomato substitute (see below).

For variety, try a Caprese Pasta Salad.
 
SUBSTITUTES FOR FRESH TOMATOES

Local summer tomatoes are a joy; they’re even more precious because the season is so sort. When regular tomatoes are not at their prime, here’s what we subsitute in salads and on sandwiches:

 
Let us know your favorite variations on this idea.
 
*Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that occurs at a certain time of the year, usually in the winter. It is attributed to less sunshine and long winter nights.

†Cut into long, thin strips.
 
  

Impress your family and friends with these homemade crackers.

This easy recipe produces a gourmet cracker, fragrant with rosemary. Made with almond flour instead of wheat flour, the crackers are also gluten free.

Serve them with cheese, hummus or other favorite dip or spread, salad or soup.

Most people don’t think of baking their own crackers. But these tasty bites may just be the start of a creative cracker-baking hobby.

Find more of our favorite crackers and bread recipes.

Mmm, hot biscuits. Photo © Robyn Mac |
Fotolia.

Centuries ago, cooks discovered that the acid in buttermilk reacts with baking soda to produce carbon dioxide bubbles. Buttermilk became a must-have ingredient to create light, tender, highest-rising biscuits, breads and muffins, pancakes and layer cakes.

It’s Sunday and it’s National Biscuit Month. What more worthy activity is there than baking a batch of biscuits for breakfast, lunch or dinner?

Up until the mid-20th century, many families who had cooks (or very energetic moms) looked forward to hot buttermilk biscuits at the breakfast table. This recipe, from specialty food doyenne Sarabeth Levine, goes equally well with fresh butter or with Sarabeth’s delicious jams and preserves (we’re particularly fond of her blood orange marmalade).

Do you remember this tongue-twister from childhood: A batch of biscuits/a batch of mixed biscuits/a biscuit mixer? Say it several times quickly.

Then, check out this recipe and whip up some fragrant, tender biscuits.

SARABETH’S BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400°F. Line a half-sheet pan with parchment paper.

2. SIFT & MIX. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in the bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer. Attach the bowl to the mixer and fit with the paddle attachment. Add the butter. Mix on low speed until the mixture resembles coarse meal with some pea-size pieces of butter. Add the buttermilk, mixing in just until the dough barely comes together.

3. KNEAD. Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times until the dough is smooth. Sprinkle the top of the dough with flour and roll it out to ¾ inch thick or slightly thicker.

4. CUT. Using a 2-¼ inch fluted biscuit cutter (you can substitute a round cookie cutter), dipping the cutter into flour between cuts, cut out the biscuits and place 1 inch apart on the pan. Gently press the scraps together (do not over handle the dough). Repeat rolling and cutting.

5. BAKE. Bake until the biscuits are well risen and golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Serve hot or warm. To reheat the biscuits, wrap in aluminum foil and bake in a preheated 350°F oven for about 10 minutes.

Makes 16 biscuits.

WHAT TO DO WITH LEFTOVER BUTTERMILK

Many people who buy buttermilk for baking lament that it only comes in quarts, not pints. A cup is generally enough for any recipe. Buttermilk is expensive.

But you don’t need to waste the leftover buttermilk.

Drink It

If you like yogurt or kefir, buttermilk is has similar flavors. If you don’t like yogurt, you have friends who might appreciate the buttermilk.

Freeze It

In our recent article on other things to do with your ice cube tray, we suggested freezing buttermilk.

A jar of Sarabeth’s preserves is a treat for biscuits and a welcome small gift. Here, peach apricot preserves. Photo courtesy Sarabeth.

 
Substitute It
Buttermilk can also be substituted for whole milk or skim milk in many recipes, from baked goods, frozen desserts and puddings to sauces and soups.
 
Use It In A Marinade Or Breading

The acidic properties of buttermilk make it a tenderizing and flavorful marinade. Hunters soak fresh venison in buttermilk overnight to reduce the gamy taste.

Also use it to adhere the breading for fish, meat and poultry.
 
Try Other Recipes

There are scores of recipes where buttermilk’s richness is welcome.

 
*BAKED FISH RECIPE. Ingredients for two portions: 1 pound cod or other white fish fillets, 1/2 cup sherry, 1/2 pound sliced fresh mushrooms, 1 tablespoon fresh chopped dill, 1 cup buttermilk (regular or nonfat), salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Preparation: Preheat oven to 350°F degrees. Add the sherry and mushrooms to a saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sherry has evaporated. Place the fillets in a single layer in a baking dish and top with the mushrooms. Sprinkle the dill, salt and pepper. Pour the buttermilk over the fillets and bake for 20 minutes until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Vary the spices to your liking: for example, lemon or orange zest or chili flakes for heat.

BUTTERMILK: JUST 80 CALORIES

Unlike butter, for which it is named, buttermilk is low in calories. Like nonfat milk, nonfat (skim) buttermilk has 80 calories per cup and the same amount of protein, calcium, other minerals and vitamins as conventional milk.