Mom shares brilliant hack for reviving stale bread in minutes: 'Okay, this is genius'

TikToker Angela (@awkwardangela23) recently showed off what she does with bread as it starts to go stale.

The scoop

Angela's video detailed how she turns bread into delicious, snackable croutons. 

@awkwardangela23 My kid loves just snacking on these and it reduces food waste! #breadtok #croutons #recipe #homemadebread #foodwaste #foodwastesolution ♬ Perfect Day (From "Legally Blonde") - Fuchsia Boom Band

First, she started by cutting up her bread into cubes. She followed by putting them all in a bowl and drizzling olive oil on them. A few tosses helped spread the oil around. She sprinkled some of her favorite seasonings on the batch, including garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, paprika, and garlic salt. Angela gave it a few more tosses to even everything out. 

Angela then had a pan with parchment paper ready to go and spread out the seasoned bread cubes on it. After a light toasting in the oven, the croutons were done. Angela suggested about 10-15 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, but she really just kept tabs on them as they turned a golden brown. 

How it's helping

This is a great hack for anyone who regularly has salad, and croutons are a delicious snack on their own. Of course, making your own croutons saves you a few bucks from buying them at the store. You're also getting the most out of the bread you buy, which is super important given the price of groceries. 

Simple fixes such as this are great for the environment. About 30-40% of food is wasted in America, which also means all that pollution generated during agriculture was for nothing. Once bad food gets tossed in the trash, it generates even more pollution in landfills. Our ability to grow food is being dramatically limited, but we can make the most out of what we've got with simple adaptations. 

If you want to find a second life for your other leftovers, check out our guide on minimizing food waste. There are whole businesses that thrive on food recovery also worth a look. Too Good To Go, Flashfood, and Misfits Market are great options in this area. 

What everyone's saying

TikTok commenters were eager to weigh in on Angela's crouton recipe. 

"Italian restaurant worker here! Try using oil, oregano, garlic powder & ceasar salad dressing to just coat them!!! So so good this way and our restaurant makes them that way," one community member said.

What's the most common reason you end up throwing away food? Bought more than I could eat 🛒 Went bad sooner than I expected 👎 Forgot it was in the fridge 😞 Didn't want leftovers 🥡 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

"Use butter next time instead of oil!!! Game changer," another suggested. 

"Okay this is genius!!! Thanks for sharing," someone else chimed in. 

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