The “new normal” has started for those of us following the USA’s directive of social distancing, and we are staying home to avoid being around others to try to slow the spread of COVID19 so our medical facilities aren’t overrun. That means that when we have half a loaf of bread that expired, it doesn’t automatically go to the chickens or the dogs (or in the trash as I know some folks do). There’s now weighing the question of if it’s worth the chance of dragging COVID19 back home just to have a loaf of store bought bread. Here, the answer is no, and I freeze expired bread loaves for future use.

First of all, is the bread moldy anywhere? If so, toss the non moldy bits to the chickens or dogs, but don’t eat it yourself. Better safe than sorry, and we’re avoiding crowds right now so we don’t want to wind up having to go to the hospital for food poisoning. Toss the moldy bits in the garbage or outside for the wildlife.

Now if you have bread that expired a day or two ago which has no mold anywhere, freeze it. You don’t need to do anything special to it beforehand. Slip it in a freezer bag if you’re not going to use it for a month or more, but if you’re going to use it within a week or two, just store it right in the bread bag. Press out as much air as possible (just like when you stick it in the breadbox), and set it in the freezer.

What can you do with frozen bread? My favorite is make french toast with it. You don’t even need to thaw it first; just dip the sliced bread in your french toast egg/milk mixture and set it on the griddle. It makes toasty outside, light and fluffy inside, french toast!