Drying crackers at home - simple ways to use stale bread

Preparing bread for drying

You can dry crackers at home from any type of bakery product. This could be black or white bread, a loaf that is starting to go stale, leftover Easter cakes after Easter, baked pies or buns that were not eaten on time. The main thing is that the bread has not yet begun to mold; if this happens, it will have to be thrown away.

For different dishes, bakery products are cut into different portions:

• To complement soups or salads, it is best to use croutons cut into 1*1 cm cubes.
• Thin bars measuring 1*2.5 cm are suitable as snacks for beer.
• It is recommended to cut sweet crackers for tea or milk for children into slices across the entire width of the bun or loaf.

It is very important that all the pieces in one batch are the same size, otherwise, with equal cooking time, some will burn and others will remain soggy.

Drying crackers at home in the oven

The simplest and most common way is to dry the crackers in the oven. The portioned pieces should be laid out on a baking sheet in one row and placed in the oven, preheated to 130 degrees. To avoid burning, after 10 minutes we begin to check the readiness. When the crackers are browned on the bottom side, you need to turn them over and keep them in the oven for another 7-10 minutes. The total drying time takes 30-40 minutes, but may vary depending on the size of the pieces.

Preparing croutons with spices and additives

If you want to get a more unusual and interesting taste, you can dry the crackers with the addition of spices and seasonings.

A simple option is to crush the chopped pieces with dry spices and mix them thoroughly before putting them in the oven.

A more complex option using liquid dressings will take a little more time and effort, but the result will not leave anyone indifferent.

1. First of all, prepare the liquid sauce. This could be vegetable oil with garlic and spices, tomato juice or sweet milk.
2. Carefully and quickly dip each piece in the liquid. You shouldn’t soak the bread for a long time, otherwise it will become soggy and you won’t get crackers.
3. Place the pieces on a baking sheet in one row and dry as described above.

Drying crackers in a frying pan

If, due to circumstances, there is no oven in the house, this does not mean that you will have to do without homemade crackers. With no less success, you can dry leftover bread and rolls in a frying pan.To do this, pre-prepared pieces need to be laid out in a dry, heated frying pan and dried over low heat, stirring every 3-5 minutes, otherwise they will burn and become bitter. Before each next batch, crumbs and remnants from previous crackers should be removed from the pan.

Making homemade crackers in the microwave

The fastest and most dangerous way to make homemade crackers is the microwave. One extra minute can lead to the whole house stinking of acrid smoke, and the stove itself will take a long time to wash and ventilate.

The prepared pieces of future crackers should be laid out in one layer on a flat plate and placed in the microwave. Every minute you should open the oven, turn the crackers over, checking their readiness at the same time. Total cooking time is 5-7 minutes, depending on the size of the pieces.

An important point - when drying crackers in the microwave, do not cover the plate with a special lid. It helps retain moisture in the food and cooking will take much longer.

This video will help you prepare crackers correctly in the microwave.

Storing crackers

Properly prepared crackers are a practically non-perishable product; they can be stored in a dry, dark room for several years. To do this, put the completely cooled pieces into a fabric bag, tie them and put them in a storage cabinet. Unfortunately, the option with plastic and glass containers is not suitable for long-term storage of crackers, because... Without access to air, they begin to become moist and “suffocate.”

You can only store completely dried pieces; if even one is damp inside, it will begin to mold and ruin everything.When preparing for long-term storage, it is better to overcook it a little and even burn it, rather than vice versa.

Video tutorial on making salted crackers