We’ve all tried our best to get through an entire loaf of bread, but sometimes that last quarter stales before we get the chance to use it up. Stale bread is often seen as a disposable item, but we’re here to advise you against it! It’s fantastic a base ingredient for many a dish across the globe, from Italian panzanella to South African bobotie.
Repurposing ingredients that are close to going off (or might have already) is a great way to reduce household food waste. If you’ve been wondering what to do with that dry loaf sitting in your bread box, look no further. Discover 5 clever dishes you can make with stale bread.
5 Clever dishes using stale bread
1. Strata or bread pudding
A savoury twist on bread pudding, strata layers bread with eggs, cheese, and flavour-packed fillings. Think bacon, feta, and spinach; basil pesto with roasted cherry tomatoes; or even a sweet version with cinnamon and apples.
A few recipes for you to try:
2. Beef up meaty dishes
Stale bread works wonders as a binder in meatballs, bobotie, or meatloaf. Soak it in milk or stock before mixing it in for tender, flavourful results. Bonus: it stretches your ingredients further.
A few recipes you can try:
3. Soup
Use stale bread to top French onion soup with cheesy, golden perfection, or blend it into hearty Tuscan ribollita for a rustic, thick texture.
A few recipes you can try:
- Cheesy French onion soup
- Beer, broccoli and Gruyere soup in bread bowls with chorizo oil and croutes with roasted garlic
4. Panzanella
Panzanella, or bread salad, was invennted many years ago by Italian farmers with the aim to use up bountiful amounts of fresh vegetables and stale bread. The key is to mix freshly roasted stale bread chunks with the salad’s vinaigrette so it has time to saok up all the lovely flavours. This bread salad pairs really well with fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, feta, bell peppers, and fresh herbs like basil. But also more wintery fruits and vegetables like roasted pumpkin and citrus.
A few recipes you can try:
5. French toast
The ultimate stale bread glow-up: soak slices in a sweet custard, then pan-fry until golden. Perfect for brunch, topped with berries and syrup.
Here’s a few recipes you can try:
- Quick and easy French toast with all the trimmings
- Mince-pie French toast
- Stuffed brie and fig French toast with maple bacon
Stale bread is far from waste, it’s an opportunity for creativity in the kitchen. From savoury to sweet, these ideas prove that yesterday’s loaf can be tomorrow’s star ingredient.
Also See: From scraps to snacks: What you can air fry instead of tossing
From scraps to snacks: What you can air fry instead of tossing
