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Thickening sauces with bread

post #1 of 8
8/15/12 at 7:13pm
Thread Starter 

How do you thicken a sauce with toasted bread like chefs did before roux came about? Do you just put the bread into the sauce and let it soak up the liquid and break apart while cooking, or is there an actual technique to it such as making it into breadcrumbs and adding little by little? 

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post #2 of 8
8/15/12 at 8:34pm

Two years ago i was working on Adriatic Sea ...Montenegro ..they have special way to prepare mussels in a white wine sauce...and garlic...and the only way to tick the sauce was bread crumps or old dry bread...

if you put fresh bread it will get soggy ...that's why i use only dry bread or ...bread crumps..

cheers

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post #3 of 8
8/15/12 at 9:05pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Djoko Verona View Post

Two years ago i was working on Adriatic Sea ...Montenegro ..they have special way to prepare mussels in a white wine sauce...and garlic...and the only way to tick the sauce was bread crumps or old dry bread...

if you put fresh bread it will get soggy ...that's why i use only dry bread or ...bread crumps..

cheers

 

We have a LOT of left over dried out bread that we use for croutons, bread pudding, etc. Thanks for the advice!

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post #4 of 8
8/16/12 at 4:50am

Soups used to be thickened with white bread in many hotels  in Europe ( but not toasted ).In fact there is an Italian Garlic Soup made this way. In particular chowders and potato soup.

Chef EdB
Over 50 years in food service business 35 as Ex Chef. Specializing in Volume upscale Catering both on and off premise .(former Exec. Chef in the largest on premise caterer in US  with 17 Million Dollars per year annual volume). 
      Well versed in all facets of Continental Cuisine...
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post #5 of 8
8/16/12 at 5:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by chefedb View Post

In fact there is an Italian Garlic Soup made this way. In particular chowders and potato soup.

I make this soup, a hearty , rustic  autumn/winter soup dish. I believe its called 'pappa al pomodoro'. A great way to get rid of leftover bread and you can jazz it up .

 

Petals.

Petals
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post #6 of 8
8/16/12 at 8:54am

Look up "Mie de Pan". I use bread to thicken gazpacho (leaving all of the ingredients marinating with the bread overnight).  Many sauces you will want to soak the bread in cream  or milk, then puree it if you are using it to thicken an already finished sauce.  You can also add it to a sauce before you puree it.  If you are just trying to use up old bread you can just dry it out in the oven and put it through the grater attachment on the Hobart to make crumbs.

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post #7 of 8
8/19/12 at 1:16am
Thread Starter 

I'm really not trying to use up any bread. Even so, we have so much that I wouldn't make a noticeable difference. I just picked up the book called sauces and I'm learning the really old school ways of doing things. Thickening sauces with bread was one of them, but it didn't explain so much as to how to add the bread in the sauce and when. I appreciate all the advice!

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post #8 of 8
8/19/12 at 3:25am

Best way, trim crust and grate or put bread in robot coup and gring into crumbs so it is all undetectable. Many things were different years ago, we used to cook roux ahead of time in the oven( brown and Blond roux not white)

Chef EdB
Over 50 years in food service business 35 as Ex Chef. Specializing in Volume upscale Catering both on and off premise .(former Exec. Chef in the largest on premise caterer in US  with 17 Million Dollars per year annual volume). 
      Well versed in all facets of Continental Cuisine...
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