Crumbs & Crusts

If you are looking for a basic bread recipes, you can find mine here. However, if you're wondering what on Earth you'll do with all of the breads you've baked after discovering that you have mad skills in the oven but not enough stomachs to consume them all, I have a solution for that! Well, more like a list of possibilities, but this post will cover two: crumbs and crusts.

Breadcrumbs are essentially tiny pieces of bread without the moisture. They are extremely versatile and I find that, at least in my kitchen, they're a HOT little item to keep on hand. I have seen a lot of bread crumb recipes and some ask for the use of stale bread, others do not. I haven't ever tried it with a stale loaf because I typically THINK about making them a day ahead but I forget to actually take them out and place them on the counter to be stale in the morning. It usually goes on my mental list that I can never seem to find… yep, that is where I put it! If only I could find it. Back to the point, they're easy to make and once you get the hang of it you'll be pulling a batch together in fifteen minutes or less (and the majority of that is oven time).

What you will need:
Oven
Baking Sheet
Wooden Spoon
Tin Foil/Parchment (optional)
Bread Knife
Bread
Food Processor
Dry Herbs (optional)
Airtight Container

Heat oven to 350.

Cube your bread and place it on your foil-lined (optional) baking sheet (DO NOT grease the sheet or foil) in a single layer. Place the sheet in the oven and bake for approximately seven minutes, stirring after about five to prevent browning on the underside. Remove from oven and place pieces in the food processor. 

Pulse for approximately thirty to forty-five seconds and return to sheet. Bake an additional five minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven and pulse in food processor again. Add dried herbs at this point if desired (I add 1 TBSP dried herb for every two cups of crumbs). 

Allow the breadcrumbs to cool completely before storing in airtight container. Now, if you're just itching to use some of these amazing homemade bread crumbs try Lobster Mac & Cheese or Apple Pepperjack Pork Loin, I promise they do not disappoint.

Croûte is a French word meaning "crust". Crouton stems from this word, although they aren't solely crusts (however, if your family doesn't eat the "heels" or crusts of your loaves of bread, you can always freeze them until you've got enough for a batch) it is another option! Croutons are made similarly to breadcrumbs except we ADD flavor and subtract the food processor.

What you will need:
Oven
Baking Sheet
Wooden Spoon
Tin Foil/Parchment
Bread Knife
Bread
Butter/Olive Oil (optional)
Garlic (optional)
Cheese, grated (optional)
Salt & Pepper (optional)
Dry Herbs (optional)
Airtight Container

Heat the oven to 350. Cube your bread and toss it LIGHTLY with butter, garlic, cheese, salt & pepper (these are all optional as a lot of people like plain croutons). Rule of thumb is about 2 TBSP of butter forevery four cups of cubed bread, you want just enough so topping will stick. Garlic and cheese are all relative. I love garlic & I love cheese HOWEVER they are both high in oil content and the goal is to dry out the bread, not keep it hydrated. Salt and pepper to taste. Bake approximately five minutes then begin stirring it occasionally until the cheese begins to crisp up and bread feels dry. Remove from oven and toss with dry herbs. Cool before storing. My boys will snack on them, but they're most happy atop a fresh homemade salad.

There it is, simple and supreme!

Sausage rolls

If you made the homemade "better than bisquik" copycat recipe I posted here, you've got a basic ingredient in several delicious recipes, including this one. If you haven't made it, no worries, it takes only a few minutes. You can also use the Bisquik mix in your pantry.

Ingredients

1lb ground sausage (I use Jimmy Dean, regular)

1 cup copycat bisquik mix

1 cup grated cheese

2 TBSP milk

2 tsp black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, mix thoroughly.

Make 1 to 1-1/2 inch sausage meatballs and place them on a greased baking sheet.

Bake at 350 for thirty minutes until cooked through.

I serve this with a creamy side, like fettuccine Alfredo or, my husband's favorite, cheesy broccoli casserole.

Crab Ragoon

Ingredients

8oz Imitation crab, chopped

1 large carrot, grated (julienne is fine but I prefer grated)

1/2 cup bok choy (or celery), finely chopped

1/2 cup onion, diced (I used purple because that is what I had)

1 jalapeño, seeds removed, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp white pepper

2 tsp zesty lemon

1 tsp teriyaki

6oz cream cheese, softened

pinch of salt

wonton wrappers

1 egg, whisked

Olive oil or melted butter 

Heat oven to 425. Combine crab, carrots, bok choy, onion, jalapeño, garlic. pepper, zesty lemon, teriyaki, cream cheese, and salt. 

Spoon mixture into wonton wrapper and seal with egg wash. Cover baking sheet with foil and spray with nonstick spray. Arrange ragoon on the sheet and brush with olive oil. Bake 12-15 minutes until golden.

Baking the night away

Homemade bread:

2 cups warm water

1 TBSP sugar

1 packet active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp)

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup oil

6 cups bread flour

Combine water, sugar, and yeast and let stand ten minutes while yeast activates. Mix flour and salt in large bowl and create a well in the center. Add oil and half the yeast mixture into the well and incorporate flour. Continue adding all the yeast mixture and incorporating all the flour. You should end up with a dough ball that isn't sticky. If it is too dry add 1 TBSP if water at a time. If too wet add 1 TBSP of flour at a time until consistent.

Knead dough to form a soft, stretchy dough and shape into a ball. Oil a bowl and put dough in it covered to rise for an hour. 

Fill an oven-safe casserole dish halfway with water. Put it on a lower rack in the oven and heat to 350.

Knead your bread dough on a lightly floured surface & divide in two. Shape each piece to fit into your oiled bread pans. 

Cover and let rise about thirty minutes until the dough is about an inch above the pan. Bake above steaming water for 30-45 minutes.

Remove and let cool on rack.

I had a bit of time so I made some bagels using THIS RECIPE (from the The Sophisticated Gourmet) to go with my the twenty-five cent cream cheese I picked up at Safeway this week (deal here).

After eating all the homemade bread and bagels you can until your eyes bulge and you wake up from your carb coma think about reusing it with my breadcrumb and crouton recipe.

Shrimp Po Boy

Sometimes meat and poultry get so mundane. Whenever I can find great prices on seafood I snap them up. I've had a package of shrimp in my freezer for a couple of weeks so I decided I'd make shrimp po boys for dinner.

Ingredients:

1 pound of shrimp, deveined, without shells, uncooked

1 cup of milk

1 egg

1/2 cup hot sauce + more for drizzle 

2 TBSP Cajun seasoning 

3 tsp pepper

1 cup flour

1 cup cornmeal

Shredded lettuce

Sliced tomato

Mayonnaise

Two baguettes (click here for recipe)

Oil for frying

Combine milk, egg, hot sauce, 1 TBSP Cajun seasoning, and 1 1/2 tsp pepper in bowl. Marinate shrimp at least thirty minutes (I started it the same morning). In a separate bowl combine flour, cornmeal, remaining Cajun seasoning and remaining black pepper. Heat oil over medium heat. Dredge shrimp and fry until golden. 

Cut baguettes length-wise and slather with mayo on both sides. Top with shredded lettuce, sliced tomato, shrimp, and more hot sauce.

**I used cooked shrimp so I flash fried it to prevent overcooking the seafood by heating the oil very hot and cooking about one minute on either side just for crunch and to warm the shrimp through.