Break stale bits or slices of brown and white bread in small pieces, allowing one and one-half cups brown bread to one-half cup white bread. Butter a hot frying-pan, put in bread, and cover with equal parts milk and water. Cook until soft; add butter and salt to taste.
Bread for Garnishing
Dry toast is often used for garnishing, cut in various shapes. Always shape before toasting. Cubes of bread, toast points, and small oblong pieces are most common. Cubes of stale bread, from which centres are removed, are fried in deep fat and called croûstades; half-inch cubes, browned in butter, or fried in deep fat, are called croûtons.
Uses for Stale Bread
All pieces of bread should be saved and utilized. Large pieces are best for toast. Soft stale bread, from which crust is removed, when crumbed, is called stale breadcrumbs, or raspings, and is used for puddings, griddle-cakes, omelets, scalloped dishes, and dipping food to be fried. Remnants of bread, from which crusts have not been removed, are dried in oven, rolled, and sifted. These are called dry bread crumbs, and are useful for crumbing croquettes, cutlets, fish, meat, etc.
CHAPTER V
BISCUITS, BREAKFAST CAKES, AND SHORTCAKES
Batters, Sponges, and Doughs
Batter is a mixture of flour and some liquid (usually combined with other ingredients, as sugar, salt, eggs, etc.), of consistency to pour easily, or to drop from a spoon.
Batters are termed thin or thick, according to their consistency.
Sponge is a batter to which yeast is added.