Your Bread Butt Deserves Better

The two end slices of a loaf of bread are often referred to as the butt of the bread. (Some might also call it the heel of the bread, but I choose to stick with the butt.) Perhaps this is why they get the butt of the jokes or are just generally not talked about enough in polite society. Today I say enough is enough. Give me the butt. I want the butt of the bread.

The primary purpose bread loaf ends serve is to protect the center slices from getting exposed to too much air and going stale. The butts of the loaf are resilient pieces, so they must follow the save the best for the last method.

Once you get there though, you'll find that you are about to enjoy pieces that are made to be toasted. The ends are usually a thinner slice than the rest of the loaf, and something about that makes toasting them one of the best ways to enjoy them. The ends of the loaf tend to curl up a bit more than the middle slices which makes them perfect for a heavily-topped avocado toast or whatever else you want to pile on.

If you've ever had a struggle meal, you know that a hot dog in a bread slice is standard practice. The butt ends of the bread loaf are a lot closer to an actual bun than the rest of the slices.

The same could also apply to making a burger at home. Buns, whether hot dog or burger, are always going to be more expensive than the average loaf of bread. Plus, because the number of buns never matches the number of hot dogs, you'll likely be out of buns one day when you need them. What's going to be there to save the day? A reliable slice of bread.

If you look at the ends of a bread loaf and fold one of the pieces like a hot dog bun, you'll see that it more closely resembles a bun than any other slice of bread. The larger crust base also helps it to hold the hot dog better than a center slice which usually becomes soggy and falls apart if you add too many condiments

If you truly dislike all things crust and the butt of the bread, there's still no reason to toss it. Instead, you can repurpose the ends in a number of tasty ways.

These slices can be crumbled up to be used as fresh bread crumbs, or cut up into bigger chunks to toast and made into croutons. Or, if you genuinely want to keep these slices away from your mouth then you could also use them to soak up pan grease or place them in a jar of brown sugar to keep it fresh.

At the end of the day, there's just no reason why any part of a delicious loaf of bread should go to waste. People want me to grow up and stop putting ketchup on everything, well everyone else should grow up and eat those bread ends.