Bread making blunders? No problem!

Ever attempted making a loaf of gluten-free bread and have it be a total failure? You are not alone! It can be so incredibly frustrating, and expensive to boot. Gluten-free flours and mixes, as you all know very well, can be quite expensive. The thought of having to throw out a whole loaf of bread can be horrible. Not only are you out the expense of the ingredients, but the time as well. I am sure you are much like me, time is precious indeed!

Last night, I threw together a loaf of potato bread in my bread machine. It is one I have made before and came out beautifully the last time. I had no doubt that once I turned on that wonderful machine that my bread would come out as before, beautiful and delicious. When the bread machine beeped, I went to remove the wonderful loaf of bread that I was sure to find. What I found was not the wonderful bread I was anticipating. So frustrating!

I left the bread on the cooling rack and went to bed. This was one problem I was not dealing with at that point in time. The ugly loaf of bread greeted me when I went to the kitchen for a cup of coffee this morning. An ugly reminder that my bread making was very unsuccessful last night. What a way to start my day. Don't you think?

What did I do? I just left it there of course! I was not about to start my day with that ugly lump. Not on your life!

After I had had my cup of coffee and moved forward with my day, I remembered something that had been a favorite of ours but rarely is made anymore. Bread pudding! I used to make this yummy dessert often when we ate wheat bread. I would often make more bread than we could eat before it got stale, or would over buy bread at the local super market when I found a wonderful deal. Bread pudding was a common dish in my kitchen, and one we have missed a lot!

Oh, I have made it a time or two, but not often. Bread has just been too precious of a commodity. The loaf of "bread" that my bread machine gave me was perfect for a big batch of bread pudding! I wish I had taken a picture of the loaf before I cut it up into cubes, but I am sure you get the idea.

That one loaf gave me enough for a very large batch of bread pudding! My family is going to be happy later this afternoon when they get to enjoy this wonderful treat. I am beginning to think that having that loaf of bread not turn out was a wonderful blessing.

If your family is not a fan of bread pudding and you find yourself with a loaf of unsightly bread, not to worry. Another wonderful use for that loaf of bread is bread crumbs. I tell you, I had no idea how often I used bread crumbs until I had to come up with an alternative for them once we gave up gluten. The list is endless, you can use them for so many different dishes.

Another great alternative to bread pudding or bread crumbs is croutons! Cut the bread into cubes and let them dry out a bit. Then saute them in melted butter or olive oil. A wonderful topping to your favorite salad. Season them with a bit of garlic and onion powder and some herbs.

So, if you find yourself with the same problem I did. Use that "bread" to make something else you have been missing! A tasty dessert, bread crumbs or croutons for your salad! Do you have any other ideas? I'd love to hear them, I am almost positive that this will not be my last loaf of bread that ended in disaster!