Stale Bread Centerpiece

Have you ever stopped to consider just how many breads you throw away in a year's time? There's always that one bagel that no one ate, a leftover hamburger bun, a couple of dinner rolls that end up in the trash. You know what I do? Instead of throwing away all that uneaten bread, just because it went stale, I turn it all into a nice centerpiece for my own house, or as a gift for someone else. You won't have to work too hard to make the centerpiece because the bread will go stale all by itself, and when it does, the centerpiece is almost finished.

The nicest centerpiece is made when you preserve a variety of breads. Some choices that work well for this project include bagels, buns, dinner rolls, crescent rolls, bread sticks, and even some donuts. Donuts should be types that don't have filling inside.

The centerpiece you craft will look especially interesting if you combine various sizes and shapes of breads, as well as assorted colors. Some choices include rye, marble rye, pumpernickel, poppy, or sesame seed. Also, if you want, you can paint breads to give them an unusual look. If you love whimsical and unique things, you can paint "cinnamon" swirls on bread slices, or just give some rolls an atypical color, like pink or blue.

No matter what type of bread products you're using just set them out to air-dry. It can take two or three days, depending on how dry the air is where the breads are sitting. It's important that you just let the breads dry without leaving them so long that they mold.

When the bread is hard and dry you can prepare it to last for years. Simply set the breads on newspaper and spray them with clear acrylic spray. When that's dry, a second coat is a good idea. Cover each bread entirely with the spray.

The preserved breads can be displayed in many different ways. You can set one or two on a small plate as a kitchen decorator piece or you can pile them high in a wicker basket. Set the basket on the dining room table as a centerpiece, or on a counter top as a cute accent. Just make sure that you keep an eye on your guests - or even warn them - because the breads look so scrumptious, you never know when someone will pick one up and try to eat it.