Bread Crumbs are not just for ducks!

I love using bread crumbs because they are so versatile. Dry bread works extra well, so now you don't have to throw away that 2 or 3 day old French bread that seems nearly hard as a rock.... and don't throw away that overcooked loaf that you forgot about in the oven. Freeze them, and then pull them out when you want to make something fun involving bread crumbs!

Here are just a few of dozens of possibilities
     Make stuffed mushrooms--like what I posted on a few days ago.
     Add spices to the crumbs and make breaded chicken
     Add them to quiche to make it a little thicker.
     Mix them in with egg frittata so you won't have to use as many eggs and it will still be filling.
     Make Bread Pudding! (This is one of my favorites, if you couldn't tell.)

So, since I had a handy loaf of dry bread in the freezer, I cut up some of it and made some bread pudding. Here is the approximate recipe:

4 cups dry bread crumbs
2 1/4 cups milk
4 eggs
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
cinnamon
nutmeg
spiced rum (with these other ingredients, I had eggnog on my mind.)


In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs and then add everything else except the bread crumbs. For the cinnamon and nutmeg, I probably used about 2 tsp of cinnamon and maybe 1/2 tsp of nutmeg. For the spiced rum, I may have used 1/4-1/3 of a cup. It gave the pudding just the tiniest hint of rum. I liked it a lot.

Put the bread crumbs in a greased pan, and then pour the liquid mixture over top, patting down to make sure all the bread is wet.

Bake in the oven at 350F for about 40 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.

After making this yesterday, I decided that I may want to use a little more liquid in the future--so next time, I'd increase the amount of milk to 2 1/2 cups or even 2 3/4. How much liquid you need probably depends on how dry your crumbs are--and mine were very dry.... just something to keep in mind. 

This is a great snack, not terribly sugary or fatty. Try it with some milk poured over the top!