Do you like to eat the bud end of your bread? Carlos doesn’t.
What to do with them? I collect them and freeze them, then use them when I have saved enough bread to cook something with them. Typical uses, of course, are bread crumbs or croutons. But there is another way: Bread Balls! Sounds boring, right? But they are surprisingly delicious and savory, especially when you use sourdough bread.
Basically, you use old bread, ideally in small pieces but larger than fine bread crumbs, soak them in milk or water, and then season with herbs and spices. Before seasoning, squeeze out any excess liquid. For seasoning, I like to use onions, either powder or finely chopped fresh onions or shallots, parsley or oregano, and a little pepper and salt. Less is more, but be creative. To bind everything together, use an egg and mix well. For gluten-free bread I use a bit of cornstarch, just to make sure they don’t fall apart.
Final step is cooking them: You can fry, boil or bake them. I boiled them in a tasty vegetable soup today, but you can boil them in salted water for use in other dishes besides soup. I suggest making a small test ball. This way you can ensure you are happy with the seasoning and if you are boiling them you can be sure they don’t fall apart. Make sure they are cooked through, especially if you make them very large, like those meatballs you sometimes get at Italian restaurants. They may take 15 to 30 minutes to boil on a low simmer depending on size.
We had these balls with a mushroom cream sauce last time I made them. Delicious. Sorry, I don’t have a picture as we ate them too fast. Another good way is with a tomato sauce, think Italian restaurant, but without the noodles, because how many carbs do you really need?