Last Updated on January 23, 2024
Y’all know how I feel about food waste.
Sometimes, your bread just goes stale a little faster than you thought it would. If that’s the case all is not lost!
I buy bread in a cloth bag. If I’m buying a loaf, I cut it in half. I store half in my bread box and the other half in a cloth bag in the freezer. Freezing bread keeps it as fresh as the day you bought it! It will stay that way in the freezer for a couple of weeks.
However, I don’t think a loaf of bread would last that long in my house.
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Table of Contents
number one:
Revive it: If it’s not a complete brick, run under running water and microwave for 30 seconds. It will steam creating an almost fluffy bread.
number two:
Crostinis: Run under running water and microwave for 30 seconds. The bread will become soft temporarily. It will give you time to slice it thinly without it breaking. Spread the pieces out without overlapping on a baking sheet.
Brush the pieces with olive oil, and bake at 400 for roughly 5 minutes. They will keep in the pantry for a couple of weeks. They’re perfect for dips, spreads, and deconstructed sandwiches.
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number three:
Croutons: MMMMmmmm yummy salads. Run the stale loaf under running water and microwave for 30 seconds. Cut it into small cubes. Brush the pieces with olive oil, and bake at 400 for roughly 5 minutes.
They will keep in the pantry for a couple of weeks. And, they’re way better than the stuff you get in a bag at the grocery store.
number four:
Dressing: I love this side dish even when it isn’t Thanksgiving! It’s very easy to scale for the amount of bread you have too. Run the stale loaf under running water and microwave for 30 seconds. (Are you seeing a pattern?) You’ll want to rip it into large chunks.
Add your bread chunks to an appropriately sized dish. Add some sauteed onions, sage, thyme and a pinch of salt and pepper. Slowly add in vegetable stock. The bread should absorb a good portion. Once you start to see it creeping up the sides of your dish, you know you’ve poured enough.
You don’t want your chunks swimming in broth. Just enough broth so you know it’s there. Bake until golden brown at 375 degrees should take around 45 minutes.
number five:
Breakfast Casserole: Run the stale loaf under running water and microwave for 30 seconds. Rip into large chunks and place at the bottom of an 8′ x 8′ glass pan. (2-3 cups of bread chunks)
Whisk half a dozen eggs with 1/2 a cup of milk. You can throw in any toppings you like cheese, sausage, onions, or veggies. Bake at 350 for an hour. The casserole should be firm.
number six:
French Toast: This is one of my favorites! Run the stale loaf under running water and microwave for 30 seconds. Rip into large chunks and place in a mason jar. (2-3 cups of bread chunks)
Whisk 2 eggs and 3/4 a cup of milk and 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Pour into the mason jar and let sit overnight or several nights. Pour onto a baking sheet and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. I always use the toaster oven at work, and then I sprinkle with lots of cinnamon sugar!
This is me at work, chowin’ on some delicious french toast! It’s warm and crusty and sweet and a perfect way to start the day.
What’s your favorite use for stale bread?
You can also chunk it up and grind it into breadcrumbs in a food processor.
Great tip!
I make a sweet breakfast bread pudding this way:
bread chunks
sweetener of your choice (optional)
coarsely chopped apple, peeling optional
raisins (optional but delightful when plumped up in equal amount of water, microwave for 1 min.), other dried fruits would be great, just pick one and make it a star!
chopped unsalted nuts
cinnamon
nutmeg (optional)
water or soy or other non-dairy mylk (usually enough to make all ingredients hold together, not so much that you can wring it out, though) added bit by bit until right consistency is achieved, add spices to liquids before adding to bread to aid in distribution
I mix all of this by hand in an extra large bowl (usually placed in the sink since it is more ergonomic for me) and then pour into a large rectangle baking dish which I spray with a tiny amount of oil to keep from sticking. I am aiming for a very low oil diet; so if you aren’t, adding more fat to this recipe will work fine. If adding fat, I would melt and mix with liquid then pour into dry bread to make sure evenly incorporated. Top with finely ground nuts or coconut flakes can be added, too. Bake in oven at 375 until apple chunks are fork tender and top is golden. Store leftovers covered and in fridge. If you have caramel sauce on hand, a drizzle on your portion after baking is a delight.
Serve hot in bowl with extra soy mylk on side and extra sweetener if desired.
MMMMMmmmm. I love bread pudding! There are so many unique ways to use stale bread. 🙂
Hi!
I read you put bread in the freezer in a cloth bag. What kind of cloth? Doesn’t it "smell" of freezer afterwards?
Thanks!
Muslin cloth
I always grind stale bread or buns (there is always one or two leftover after burgers) into crumbs in the food processor and keep it in a container in the freezer. Then whenever I am making a recipe that requires bread crumbs I scoop that amount out.
I must admit, I am just pouring over your blog. I have been on a slow road to zero waste for a little while now without even realizing it. But I was so happy to see french toast on this one. It’s a personal favorite of mine. My husband is French and I recently realized that in french they call it Pain Perdu which means "the lost bread". I thought you might appreciate that.