Five Rescue Ideas for Failed Homemade Bread

Since I started cooking in my own kitchen I have had my share of failed bread batches. The same recipe that rarely failed when I still lived at home has given me just enough problems that it almost starts to feel unreliable. Is it flour? Home temperature? Other ingredients? Forgotten technique? It's a mystery.
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I hate to throw anything away so I've been using them trying out different things to know what works with a failed loaf of bread. By failed I mean -- no salt (hee, hee) or bread that didn't raise properly and ends up flat and crumbly. Here are a few things I found successful:

1. French Toast
   Eggs and milk cover a multitude of sins . . . even when salt is absent from the bread (just add extra salt to the french toast batter).

2. Homemade Croutons
   Last year, two batches in a row were way too dry and crumbly. Something was wierd with the flour and the dough didn't turn out but I baked it anyway. I made one loaf into croutons.
    --Cube dry bread, and toss with olive oil or melted butter, and your choice of seasonings. I use suggestions from a Taste of Home recipe. You can bake them for a short time in the oven, but I found I have better control over keeping track of when they're done by using the microwave. In a shallow pan, microwave the croutons for one minute at a time, stirring after each time, until croutons are golden brown. Spread on a paper towel to cool.

3. Bread Crumbs
   Another dry and nasty loaf I made into bread crumbs. Make sure the bread is dry and then crumble it into your blender and blend until the crumbs are a fine consistency. They keep a long time in the freezer and can be used for many recipes.

4. Strata Recipe or Breakfast Casserole
   I never want to use up 10 slices of my good bread in any of those recipes that call for it! But cubing up a bunch of bread that is not very good on it's own gives it a whole new life. My favorite strata recipe:

Cheeseburger Strata

Brown 1 lb. of hamburger and drain. Add 4 Tbs. minced onion or 1 tsp. onion salt for seasoning.

Spread the meat in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.
Cube 10 slices of bread and spread over the meat. Sprinkle 2 Cups sharp cheddar cheese over bread and meat.
Combine thoroughly:
     6 eggs
     3 cups milk
     1 tsp. dry mustard
     1 tsp. salt
Pour over the mixture in the dish. Bake at 350* for 45-55 minutes, or until set.

I also made this recipe once with sausage instead of hamburger and served it as a breakfast casserole.

5. Pizza Dough The last time my bread flopped (yeast problems this time) the dough barely rose at all. I knew there was no point in trying to make it into loaves, so I decided to try making pizza dough by taking a section of it and spreading it on the pizza pan. It wasn't any kind of amazing pizza dough (sort of...flat and chewy), but I put on our favorite toppings, called it Bar-B-Q Chicken Flatbread Pizza, and it passed.
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I also use old hamburger or hot dog buns to make croutons and bread crumbs, and even tried it in the strata one time. It is nice to have a few ways to use these items instead of letting them go stale in the fridge.

Here's to failed attempts, second chances, and hoping someone else can glean from my mistakes!