40 things to make with out of date bread

It is estimated that globally over 900,000 tons of bread is thrown away each year.  Often people throw it away as soon as it goes slightly stale.  As long as there is no sign of mould, it is easy to rejuvenate an uncut loaf of bread if it seems hard.  It just needs running under the tap and popping in the oven, or air fryer, on 200C for 5 or 10 minutes (until seems a bit crusty again), and it will be fresh again.  There are often lots of bread or bread products available at the Community fridge, or from Olio.

We bake our own bread which doesn’t last as long as bought bread as it has no additives. We don’t throw any away if it goes stale, though, but use it to make puddings and savoury meals. I will often pick up a French stick when I visit the Community fridge as these are great for making things like pizza, or garlic bread. I also never throw crusts away, as many people do, as they make great bread crumbs. I even made a bread and butter pudding with the crusts that I had cut off after making a posh afternoon tea for mother’s day. Here are some of the things we make with any left over or stale bread.

1. Croutons for soup (nice with melted cheese on if eating onion soup)
2. Savoury breadcrumbs by blitzing broken up bread in a food processor and drying for about an hour in a 150C oven and then mixing with herbs, spices, or grated cheese to coat fish, fish cakes, chicken nuggets, or chicken. Now we have an air fryer we dry them in there instead as it is cheaper.
3. Savoury gratins, by using dried or fresh bread crumbs and mixing with herbs and grated or Parmesan cheese, and sprinkling like a savoury crumble over sauce dishes eg fish pie or pulled chicken in white sauce.
4. Treacle tart. This is a pastry case with bread crumbs, golden syrup, lemon zest and eggs mixed together.
5. Dried breadcrumbs mixed with sugar and mixed spice and used as a crumble over fruit or ice cream
6. Bread and butter pudding. Sometimes we add marmalade or chocolate chips to make it special. If we have bananas, I might add thin slices of those as well. Bread and butter pudding can also be made with croissants, or other pastry products, as well.
7. Grated fresh and added  to mince, onion, herbs, or spices and maybe an egg to make burgers, kebabs, or meatballs.
8. Strata, which is layers of bread and grated cheese with beaten eggs poured over the top and baked.
9. Apple Charlotte, made with bread, lemon zest and sugar.
10. A French bread loaf is great cut into slices, garlic butter drizzled on top, and then the slices placed on top of left over chilli or a stew, butter side up, and cooked in the oven or in the air fryer
11. A slice of bread, toasted on one side, turned over and then used as pizza base. We do this as a lunch most weeks. (quick pizza sauce is a squeeze of tomato puree, a squeeze of tomato sauce, mixed herbs or chilli flakes, and lazy garlic (latter optional)). Spread on sauce on bread, add any bits like ham, tomato, etc, and sprinkle over grated cheese. Pitta breads are also good to make this.
12. Toasted sandwiches (savoury). These are great for using up bits of meat or cheese in the fridge. We put homemade chutney with the cheese sometimes.
13. Toasted sandwiches (sweet). I wrap jam or chocolate spread sandwiches in foil and throw them in the bonfire when I am gardening at this time of year, or cook them without foil in the air fryer.
14. Stuffing to serve with poultry or to stuff meat.
15. To make meatloaf
16. Cheese on toast (lovely on it’s own or with tomato soup)
17. As bread crumbs to coat vegetable croquettes or Scotch eggs
18. Mixed with herbs and cheese and chopped tomatoes to stuff mushrooms
19. Savoury bread pudding. This is basically bread, with whatever veg you have, eggs, cheese, and milk and baked.
20. Brown Betty which is layers layers of breadcrumbs and chopped apples with sugar and cinnamon sprinkled on top and baked.
21. Fried bread which used to be a favourite in my younger days with breakfast.
22. Summer pudding. This is a pudding made with bread, sugar, and fruit.
23. Welsh Rarebit. Like a cheese sauce with Worcester sauce, mustard and ale on toast
24. Air fried sweet treats.  Bread spread with chocolate spread and rolled up, milk washed and air fried and dipped in sugar.
25. Bread pudding. More of a tray bake. Great sliced for a picnic or to take as a pack up to work, but can be served with ice cream or custard.
26. Bread crumb chocolate cake. This a new one for me and I have only made it for the first time recently.
27. Pops. As a child I was given this for breakfast. Basically, it was toasted bread in small cubes, served like cereal with milk and sugar.
28. Toast. Serve with scrambled eggs, beans, or even left overs, like chilli. Also good with jam, lemon curd etc for breakfast or as a snack
29. Bread sauce. You don’t see this often now adays but it is often served with chicken or turkey. I remember it being served at Christmas.  I think it is has butter, milk, cloves, peppercorns, garlic, bread crumbs, cream and thyme in it
30. Fresh bread crumbs blended into a homemade soup will thicken it up.
31. Whiz left over bread in a food processor, squeeze together and add a splash of water if needed and roll into a pie crust.
32. Migas, which is a Spanish dish of cubes of stale bread, cooked with a bit of broth and then fried with onions, chorizo, and peppers, with eggs added.
33. Garlic bread. I microwave some butter with some crushed garlic, and stir and brush over the sliced bread, or slice a baguette not quite to the bottom and pour the garlic butter in between the slices.
34. We add bread soaked in water to minced pork, with seasonings and herbs, when making home made sausages.
35. Panzanella. This is a kind of salad with toasted hunks of bread that have been tossed in oil and added to a salad of tomatoes, shallots, anchovies, red wine vinegar and basil.
36. Eggy bread. Bread dipped in egg and milk mixed together and fried.
37. Cinnamon French toast. Like eggy bread but cream used instead of milk and cinnamon added.
38. Bruschetta. Lightly toasted baguette with a mixture of tomatoes, garlic, onions and basil on top
39. Mixed with lemon and sprinkled on a Ratatouille and baked.
40. Crostini. This is bread that has been brushed with olive oil and lightly toasted. It is usually served with vegetables or sliced meat on top or cheese and fruit.

As well as eating, old bread can be used in other ways.  Crushed burnt toast mixed into spent compost with other additives like crushed egg shells and bone meal helps rejuvenate the soil and improve the structure as it absorbs excess moisture. .If you place some burnt toast in a fridge or near a bin it will absorb and neutralise unpleasant odours.  Apparently, they absorb pet odour as well.  I have used burnt toast as kindling or as a fire starter in my log burning stove or a camp fire (I burn crusts on purpose).  It is really combustible.  One year I even made burnt toast briquettes from crushed and compressed burnt toast and used them like charcoal to BBQ with.  Once I added crushed burnt toast to add texture to art work when painting with my grandson.

I am always looking for new ways to use bread as it is something that we often have left over as we don’t eat a lot of bread and will often have the end of a loaf left. How do you use your stale bread?