Certainly, you can freeze your bread if you’re proactive, and this is great. However, we don’t always think to freeze half a loaf of bread when we bring it home from the grocery store. The best solution for stale bread is to have some recipes lined up to create some comfort food.
This can increase your food wastage, and leave you feeling frustrated every time you have to throw a perfectly good loaf of bread away because you’ve not eaten it in time.
In this article, I will cover 16 stale bread recipes to help you use it up. So, next time your bread goes stale, you have plenty of ideas to work with instead of throwing it away!
Panzanella is a classic Italian salad made out of bread, tomatoes, onions and other ingredients.
Start off by slicing the bread into cubes, and place them in the oven at 300°F.
Chop up the tomatoes, bell peppers, and cucumber into small pieces. Slice the onion into thin slices and soak in a bowl of cold water for 10 to 15 minutes.
Next, you need to make the vinaigrette. Combine the olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper.
Combine the bread, vegetables, and vinaigrette in a bowl and mix until well combined.
Italian bread crumbs are delicious to add to a variety of different recipes, including pastas, burgers, and schnitzels. If you’ve got stale bread, this recipe couldn’t be more perfect for Italian bread crumbs!
To make, Tear stale bread into large pieces and place them in a large food processor or blender.
Add dried parsley, basil, oregano, thyme, along with garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
Process the bread until a fine crumbs form.
Use the breadcrumbs immediately in a recipe or alternatively, you can store them in an airtight container in the freezer.
If you’re looking for a sweet recipe to make with your leftover bread, this French bread French toast recipe is super yummy.
Start by whisking milk, salt, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract, rum and sugar until smooth.
Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium heat. Soak the bread slices in mixture until saturated.
Cook bread on each side for a couple of minutes, until golden brown. Serve with maple syrup and powdered sugar. For a really indulgent result, top with whipped cream!
This herb stuffing recipe takes any recipe to the next level, and couldn’t be easier to make with stale bread.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the bread in a large mixing bowl.
Next, melt butter in a pan and saute onion, celery, and garlic in a pan. Cook until they soften, then stir in the safe, rosemary, and parsley.
Pour the onion celery mixture over the bread crumbs and toss well to coat. Whisk together the remaining 1 ½ cups stock and 2 eggs, pour over the bread crumbs and mix well.
Bread pudding muffins are another great sweet recipe for stale bread.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Break up the bread, reserving some cubes for later. Add milk and cream and let it stand.
Next, stir the mixture and let the liquid soak in. Stir in eggs, sugar, vanilla, brandy and butter.
Stir together flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon, then stir into wet ingredients. Add raisins and stir well to make a chunky butter. Stir in reserved bread cubes just to mix.
Add a splash of water and vegetable stock to a pan. Saute onions and red pepper flakes until translucent. Stir in the rosemary and garlic.
Crush San Marzano tomatoes, and add them with a bay leaf. Add vegetable stock and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 25 minutes.
Next, take your stale bread and char them on the griddle. Rub both sides of the bread with garlic. Brush lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.
Tear the bruschetta and add them to the soup. Tasty!
Stuffing muffins work brilliantly as a side dish for any kind of large roast.
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Cut up your bread into cubes and place them on a baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes.
Place the bread cubes in a large bowl.
Increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Spray a muffin tin with nonstick spray.
Sauté the butter, onion, and celery until softened. Stir in the garlic, salt, pepper, and sage. Add the mix of vegetables to the bread cubes.
Whisk together the eggs and chicken broth. Pour the mixture over the bread cubes and veggies. Stir until the ingredients are well combined. Stir in the fresh parsley.
Apple Charlotte is a beautiful dessert to enjoy with friends and family.
Melt butter and add sugar and apples over a medium heat. Put the lid on and cook over a gentle heat for about 10 minutes.
Remove the lid and cook until the apples still have a few chunks for texture. Add the apricot jam and let it cool.
Melt the rest of the butter in a saucepan. Cut the slices of bread in half, and then into strips, saving one piece for the base of the pudding basin and one for the lid.
Dip each piece of bread into the melted butter and line a large pudding basin.
Once the pudding basin has been lined, you need to spoon in the apple purée and top with another round of bread that has been dipped in melted butter.
Place in the oven and bake at 356°F for 30 minutes.
16+ Stale Bread Recipes (+Homemade Croutons)
These recipes are sure to please. So, gather your family and friends and enjoy. Let us know your thoughts!
Cassie brings decades of experience to the Kitchen Community. She is a noted chef and avid gardener. Her new book "Healthy Eating Through the Garden" will be released shortly. When not writing or speaking about food and gardens Cassie can be found puttering around farmer's markets and greenhouses looking for the next great idea.
