When you buy or make a loaf of bread. do you eat the end slice or give to the birds? I don't eat the ends.

[debm55]

[hlthe2b]

1. I eat them if they are not stale.

Otherwise, the birds and squirrels can have 'em.

[wendyb-NC]

4. Yes, I eat the ends

They are crustier and taste as good as any other part of the loaf.

[ariadne0614]

58. You must buy/make good bread. n/t

[debm55]

17. Thank you hlthe2b

[SheltieLover]

2. Of course I eat the ends. Lol

[debm55]

18. Thank you SheltieLover

[SamKnause]

3. Fresh baked bread, the ends are my favorite.

Store bought bread I usually toast the ends.

[debm55]

19. Thank you SamKnause

[OldBaldy1701E]

5. Unfortunately, I cannot afford to toss them. Food is food. (n/t)

[debm55]

20. Thank you OldBaldy1701E

[JoseBalow]

6. That's the best part!

[debm55]

21. Thank you JoseBalow. I don't ever remember eating the ends

[JoseBalow]

26. a good crust makes the bread, and the ends are ALL crust!

Yum!

[patphil]

7. I leave them on the loaf to keep the bread fresh, and eat them at the end.

[debm55]

22. Thank you Patphil

[TooMuchTelly]

8. I love the ends

I like the crust on bread

[debm55]

23. Thank you very much TooMuchTelly

[badhair77]

9. I love the crust.

I love it on pizza also.

[debm55]

24. Thankyou very much. I hate to admit it but I don',t eat the pizza crust

[Ocelot II]

10. I eat the ends. Even if you don't eat them, do NOT feed them to the birds!

Bread isn't healthful for birds and can even be deadly.

Bread offers wild birds absolutely ZERO nutrition. ZERO. But, how could it possibly harm them, if it has zero effect? Simply, bread fills up a small stomach in a hurry. The bird doesn’t know the food is useless, but leaves feeling full and satisfied, nonetheless. This is a deadly combination of factors, considering how many calories birds need to eat in order to survive.

To begin with, birds must be very efficient eaters due to rapid metabolism and the small size of their stomachs. Birds need to max out every meal in order to take in enough nourishment. This means a bird will always take full advantage of each and every feeding opportunity. Ideally, they should be filling up with food that has a high density of the proteins, fats and carbohydrates they require. The food Nature intended. Bread is not that food.

Eating bread can be deadly for birds.The bird doesn’t realize it has wasted an opportunity to be nourished, it has eaten its fill. It will continue going about its business, its body burning calories just the same. With a stomach stuffed full of nothing. With no calories to metabolize to stay warm or provide energy to evade predators.

For a small bird, this can lead to tragedy very quickly. A Black-capped Chickadee can freeze to death overnight, with its stomach full of bread.

https://thebackyardnaturalist.com/wordpress/resources/bread-is-bad-for-birds/

[hlthe2b]

15. Not all bread is alike. The really heavy seed breads (e.g., Dave's Killer thin sliced good seed whole grain)

can be healthy. I would hope most here don't eat or at least don't feed the highly processed white or other Wonder-like breads but even whole grains are not all equal.

Seeds are good for wild birds, however, so scraping the heavy variety covering of the ends of the Dave's Killer bread mentioned would be fine.

[debm55]

57. Thank you very much hlthe2b. I agee with you post.

[debm55]

25. Thank you Ocelot II Your post is filled with important information for me/

[LizBeth]

11. Depends if I have a new loaf and want a sandwich. If not, I use the ends.

If I have another loaf, probably not

[debm55]

27. Thank you very much LizBeth

[red dog 1]

12. I save the ends, keep them in the refrigerator & feed them to the ducks later on.

[debm55]

28. We used to do with the ducks and the river carp

[RussellCattle]

13. My large, extended family is almost perfectly divided on this issue, so I just quietly eat them.

[debm55]

29. Thank you very much, RussellCattle

[RussellCattle]

61. You're welcome, Deb. If I bake bread my 90 year old neighbor comes over and we share the ends with a cup of coffee.

[Srkdqltr]

14. The ends are the best part of the loaf. In a homemade loaf the ends are heavenly.

[LoisB]

16. I eat the ends.

[debm55]

30. Thank you LoisB

[Clouds Passing]

31. The heels are my favorite, toasted with butter 😋

[debm55]

40. Thank you very much Clouds Passing.

[Different Drummer]

32. I eat the ends. I don't care if they are dry.

[debm55]

39. Thank you Different Drummer.

[rzemanfl]

33. They end up torn to pieces in meat loaf or bread pudding here.

[debm55]

38. I would make bread pudding with raisins out of them sometimes.

[Dorothy V]

34. Neither, as a rule.

The only breads I make at home are biscuits and cornbread.
I buy flatbread in the summer for sammiches, and of course tortillas year round, mostly corn.
I on occasion buy a loaf of French bread and use the ends to toss in soup or to mop up gravy. By the by, French bread made with American flour does NOT taste like French bread made in France, or any "white" breads I ate in Europe. They don't mill all the flavor out.
I used to buy birdseed for the birds but the increase in feral cats around here put an end to that. Now I feed the feral cats and hope they don't get after the birds as often.
I did buy light bread for Hubby and the kids, but after European breads I just can't stand light bread. Older son ate the heels. He also ate the ends of rye bread. Heck, he'd eat Anything. Least picky kid I ever saw! I once told him I expected he'd eat lug nuts if I put them on the table and he cheerfully agreed.

[debm55]

37. Thank you very much Dorothy V

[walkingman]

35. I have the DW save them for me....I make a peanut butter foldover

[debm55]

36. That's a very good idea. thank you walkingman

[pandr32]

41. I love toasted heels of the loaf.

They are chewy and crisp.

[debm55]

55. Thank you pandr32.

[MustLoveBeagles]

42. I like to eat them

Hubby likes to give them to to our dog.

[debm55]

54. Thank you very much, MustLoveBeagles.

[Polly Hennessey]

43. I use them like bookends for the rest of the 🍞 loaf.

[debm55]

53. HAHAHAHAH. That is funny. Thank you Polly Hennessey.

[surrealAmerican]

44. If I baked it, or if it's very fresh ...

... that's the best part.


Otherwise, I eat it anyway.

[debm55]

52. Thank you very much surrealAmerican for your post.

[NNadir]

45. I eat the end slice. I expect that ultimately something we have trained ourselves not to expect will come anyway.

It's famine.

You may laugh; may think I'm paranoid, but I think I'm simply watching the trends.

Right now, and I'm sure in the future, the entire United States, the lower 48 at least, are experiencing droughts. I lost almost all of my tomatoes, basil and spices this summer to extreme heat and the inability to keep up with watering, as it didn't rain very much here.

I want to get in the habit of not wasting food. If it goes bad, that's one thing, but I try not to waste food if I can avoid it.

I try to buy only what I can reasonably expect to eat and use.

[debm55]

50. Thank you very much NNadir. Your post makes alot of sense.

[Brother Buzz]

46. Mom explained to me many, many years ago, all the nutrition is in the heels

The scrub jays get peanuts and sunflower seeds, while the LBJ’s (little brown jobs) get birdseed.

[debm55]

49. Thank you Brother Buzz and the information on what certain birds eat.

[pansypoo53219]

47. depends. raisin bread yes. 15 grain bread ends get saved for meatballs or hamburgers.

banana bread yes.

[debm55]

48. Thank you pansypoo53219 thank you very much. I love raisin bread.

[catbyte]

51. I dry them out then grind them up for bread crumbs.

Experts do not recommend feeding bread to birds. I've learned that it's not good for them.

https://www.birdzilla.com/learn/do-birds-eat-bread/

[Easterncedar]

56. The ends make your hair curly

So said my dear mother, who probably got the saying from hers. I love the crusts and assume other folk do too, so always offer the end first to any companions, and am happy when they say “No, you have it.”
My hair is curly.

[Littlered]

59. I keep the ends

They are what keeps the center pieces from drying out. When only the two ends are left. I make a nice peanut butter sandwich with them for an afternoon snack.

[Turbineguy]

60. There's nothing like

bread so fresh that it's hard to cut and with a crispy crust. When I was growing up, the ends were the best part.

[yellowdogintexas]

62. I like to make toast with the ends

I usually leave the ends in the bread package to keep the next slice from getting too stale then make toast with them when the rest of the bread loaf is gone

If you are going to need bread crumbs, the heel will make the best ones. Let them dry out for a day or so then whirl them in the food processor or blender