Turn Costco Bakery Brioche Into A Sweeter Version Of This Pantry Staple

With the unbelievable deals and thrill of the hunt, it's easy to overdo it when you shop at Costco. Between must-buy Costco items and tasty samples enticing you to purchase something that wasn't on your list, your cart will probably be full before you even make it past the bakery section.

A lap by all the baked goods will still likely have you grabbing a bag of the warehouse chain's La Boulangere sliced brioche. It seems like a reasonable purchase, as it can be turned into everything from sandwiches to French toast, but because of all the other items you nabbed, you might end up with some bread leftover (especially since it comes with two loaves per package).

As it starts to go stale, there's no reason to toss it — just turn that brioche into breadcrumbs instead. There are a couple of different methods you can use. For shelf-stable crumbs that you can keep stashed in the pantry for up to three months, dry chunks of bread out in a 250-degree Fahrenheit oven before pulsing them in a food processor or blender. For recipes that call for fresh breadcrumbs — like a topping on baked macaroni and cheese or olive oil-fried breadcrumbs for a salad finisher — you can simply blitz the stale bread without further drying. Fresh breadcrumbs will need to be stored in the fridge or freezer, though; they will keep for up to one month or three months, respectively.

Don't let the enriched dough, croissant-like richness, and slight sweetness deter you from making breadcrumbs from Costco's La Boulangere sliced brioche. While they won't be what you'd reach for in savory Italian-style meatballs or Mexican milanesa de res (breaded steak cutlets), there are plenty of other dishes that are well-suited to brioche.

Those slow cooker grape jelly meatballs are a perfect example, as the sweetness of the breadcrumbs echoes the fruity notes in the glaze. Crispy breaded chicken tenders destined for dipping in sweet sauces like honey mustard, hot honey, barbecue, or teriyaki are also a great choice. Use them as a topping on sweet potato casserole, retro scalloped corn, roasted root vegetables, creamy crab dip, or noodle kugel. Brioche breadcrumbs also are excellent in stuffings for dishes such as clams casino, baked mushroom caps, or stuffed pork chops.