40 handy stale bread tips21 March 2013
Bread is the UK's most wasted food - and 32% of what we bin is perfectly good to eat.
But what if it's past its best? There's still plenty of ways to use bread even when it's stale - here's 40 of your favourite recipes and tips.
These tips were contributed by 'micro volunteers' who brainstorm tips for us online - find out how to join in.
1. Freeze it
If you take a while to finish a loaf, freeze half - remember to slice it first. Defrost a few hours before for sandwiches, or use instantly for toast.
2. Fresh breadcrumbs
Grate or blitz in a blender, then freeze or store your breadcrumbs in an air-tight container. Perfect for topping gratins, macaroni cheese, casseroles, cakes and cupcakes, and for coating fish and meat.
3. Savoury breadcrumbs
Pop stale bread in oven after you've switched it off (the residual heat will crisp it up) - or simply put in toaster. Then blitz in a blender. Add herbs and salt if you want a savoury mix for dishes.
4. Delicious ice cream topper
Add some brown sugar, cinnamon, cocoa powder or coconut flakes to dried breadcrumbs.
5. Toast, toast, toast
Choose the toaster rather than the grill where possible - it uses less energy - and transform your slightly stale bread into one of our favourite comfort foods.
6. Bread and butter pudding
There's so many versions of this recipe, but essentially it's buttered slices of bread, layered and baked with a mixture of eggs and milk. Try spreading the bread with marmalade or lemon curd for a simple fruity twist - or for something spicey, try this Chai spiced bread and butter pudding.
7. Savoury bread and butter pudding
Adapt the usual sweet recipe for a savoury main course. Make it with cheese (and pickle) sandwiches, cheese and tomato sandwiches, or with spinach or roast veg. Pour seasoned milk and egg mixture over the sandwiches in a deep oven proof dish, top with a little more grated cheese and bake.
8. Fattoush
A popular bread and vegetable salad from the Middle East that uses stale flatbread, or try with stale pitta, Italian or French bread.
9. Stuffing
Mix breadcrumbs with onions, herbs and seasoning for a simple stuffing for roast meat. Experiment with extra ingredients such as squash, spinach, sausage, nuts and dried fruits such as cranberries.
10. Nut roast
Forget the bad press - the humble nut roast has been reinvented. If you fancy chestnuts, cashews and macadamias blended with flavoursome mushrooms, and seasoned with honey and soy sauce, see Nigel Slater's Porcini Nut Patties. For more variations, see Nut Roast Recipes.
11. Bake your own
You're less likely to waste it if you bake your own bread - find out more from the Real Bread Campaign. If you're looking for a book to get you started, we get a 5% donation from any order from the Book Depository - see their range of books about baking bread.
12. Revive stale bread in the oven
Transform stale bread - just sprinkle with water, then pop briefly in a warm oven.
13. Mouldy bread
Mouldy bread isn't safe to eat but it doesn't need to go in the bin. Put it on the compost heap, instead of sending it to landfill.
14. Eggy bread
Cover a slice of bread with beaten egg, quickly fry, then serve with your favourite topping. Honey is great if you have a sweet tooth, or if you prefer savoury, try baked beans, tomatoes or mushrooms.
15. Eggy bread pudding
For a pudding worthy of a Michelin star, try Jamie Oliver's Charred eggy bread with strawberries and honey.
16. Cheese and jelly French toast
Spread one side of the stale bread with a light layer of cream cheese (or chevre), and the other side with a tart jelly (like cherry or marmalade) before dipping it in egg batter and cooking.
17. Feed the birds
Stale bread can be a lifeline for birds in the winter as long as it's part of a varied diet. Read the RSPB's advice about feeding bread to the birds.
18. Make your own decorations
Try these Christmas decorations made from bread.
19. Pizza toast
Cover bread with chopped tomatoes, herbs and grated cheese, and pop under the grill.
20. Croutons
Dice your bread and fry quickly in olive oil for home-made croutons.
21. Melba toast
Lovely with soft cheese, humous or pate. Watch this short video to learn to make Melba toast.
22. Bread omelette
A great way to use soft breadcrumbs, this Bread Omelette is an interesting variation on the basic recipe.
23. Milk toast
An American children's favourite, just spread bread with butter, then toast under a grill. Meanwhile heat a pan of milk making sure it doesn't boil. Slice the toast into small cubes. Put toast cubes in a bowl and pour hot milk over. Eat immediately before it gets too soft.
24. Brown Betty
Butter a baking dish and arrange alternate layers of chopped apples and stale breadcrumbs - start and end with a breadcrumb layer. Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on each layer of apples. Bake until golden and serve with cream.
25. Fruit Charlotte
Dip fingers of bread in melted butter, and line a cake mould. Pour in a fruit compote of your choice - homemade is best. Seal the top with some more bread slices and bake for about 30 mins until golden brown. Great served with custard.
26. Fried sandwiches
Experiment with your favourite fillings, or try Ham and cheese or Italian-style pan-fried sandwich.
27. Panzanella
Panzanella is an Italian bread salad recipe with fresh tomatoes, herbs and and olive oil. A fantastic way to use stale Italian or French bread.
28. Taramasalata
Taramasalatais a delicious Greek dip made with breadcrumbs and cod roe.
29. Summer Pudding
A great British classic, Summer pudding is a wonderful combination of stale bread and fresh seasonal fruit. Try wholemeal bread for a healthier alternative with a more robust flavour.
30. Crispbreads
Spread stale slices of bread with a little butter or olive oil and put them in the oven until golden brown, and serve like crispbreads. Great topped with soft cheese such as ricotta.
31. Rusks
The crust from toast makes great rusks for teething babies. Take care not to leave babies unattended with food.
32. Meatloaf and meatballs
Breadcrumbs are often added to mince to make it more tender and bulk it out. Choose good quality, organic meat whenever possible to support more environmentally-friendly farming. Try Nigel Slater's Meatloaf with porcini and bacon.
33. Fish cakes
Breadcrumbs act as a crispy coating for home-made fishcakes. Choose sustainable seafood with the help of the Good Fish Guide.
34. Ribollita soup
A thick bread-based soup, this popular Italian recipe is great reheated the next day. Try Jamie Oliver's Ribollita recipe.
35. Brown bread pesto
Try Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's Brown bread, hemp oil and parsley pesto served with jacket potatoes.
36. French onion soup
Delicious with a cheesy toasty topper, try Alton Brown's French onion soup.
37. Soufflé
Stale bread and eggs were somehow made for each other. If you love soufflé but aren't in the mood to worry about it rising or collapsing, Cheese, onion and bread soufflé is an easy option.
38. Semmelknoedel
These German dumplings are similar to Italian gnocchi, but are made with stale bread and milk. Enjoy in a soup, topped with mushroom gravy or marinara, or with meat or fish. Create a slightly sweeter version (minus the garlic, pepper, and herbs) and eat warm with honey, almonds, and ricotta cheese.
39. Treacle tart
Treacle tart uses storecupboard staples, and is delicious served with a generous dollop of ice-cream or custard.
40. Toast sandwich - Victorian style
Not a toastie, but a recipe by Victorian food writer Mrs Beeton which was recently revived. Toast a thin slice of stale bread. Salt and pepper it and sandwich it between two slices of fresh buttered bread.
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