36. Breadcrumbs

It always breaks my heart to throw away old bread. I've been a bit over the top recently about home baking and the boys don't seem to be able to consume it fast enough so I've been forced to find other creative ways to use stale loaves. Breadcrumbs seems so be one of the things that we use a lot of in our house, so I thought I'd save us the trip to the shops next time we make chicken escalope and use some homemade breadcrumbs instead!

Breadcrumbs
makes a lot

Day Old Bread, any type

Slice your bread thinly, place on a rack and allow it to dry out over night. If you're in a real rush, dry the bread out in the oven on a low temperature for 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 170ºC. Once your bread is good and dry, cut it up into small cubes and whizz it in the food processor until all the crumbs are an equal size (about 1 minute). Place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, spreading to equal thickness. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown and feel dry to the touch. Make sure to toss the crumbs every 5 minutes so that they are evenly browned. Allow your breadcrumbs to cool completely before storing them in an airtight jar.

35. Chocolate Chip Cookies

I use to make this recipe when I first moved to London and was living with bike messengers. I'd always make a double batch knowing that when the boys got home from a long day on the road, they would eat so much of the dough I would be left with just over half a batch to bake off. Sometimes I would even find them in the living room, clutching their bellies having a chocolate chip cookie overload. 

Chocolate chip cookies

Makes about 24 cookies

175g unsalted butter, softened

125g light brown sugar

125g caster sugar

1 large egg

1tsp vanilla extract

300g plain flour

2tsp cornflour

1tsp baking soda

1/2tsp salt

200g dark chocolate

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line some baking trays with parchment paper. Cream your butter and sugars together. Stir in your egg and vanilla extract. Add the flour, cornflour, baking soda and salt and mix. Roughly chop your dark chocolate and stir into the dough. Roll into small balls and bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. These cookies should be chewy in the middle. You may want to remove them from the oven when they look slightly under baked. It you want your biscuits crunchy, omit the cornflour. Make sure you have the house to yourself when you're making these, they disappear really quickly!

34. Cornbread Muffins

These are a childhood favorite of mine. We used to wait for them to come out of the oven, spread (a lot) of butter on them and quickly gobble them down while they were still warm.

Cornbread Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

200g yellow cornmeal

100g plain flour

2tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

200g yogurt

100g milk

60g butter, melted

2 eggs

1tbsp honey

Preheat your oven to 200ºC. Lightly grease your muffin tin. Mix all your dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Whisk together your remaining ingredients and add in your dry mixture. Stir to evenly combine and spoon into your muffin tin, filling each cup about three-quarters full. Bake for 15 minutes until lightly browned and a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean.