I hate to waste food, and bread seems to be one of those foods that if you don’t use it within a couple days it’s gone stale and I don't know about you, but I don't care much for stale bread. So what do you do with that stale bread? Instead of throwing it out, here are some simple ideas for that day or two old bread.
- Use as a Soup thickener – Many soups can be thickened by adding bread. Just think of the French onion soup you get in a bread bowl. The consistency becomes top notch when you start scraping the sides.
- French toast – No matter how dry the bread is, soak it in some eggs, milk and cinnamon and you have the makings for some great French toast.
- Bread pudding – Of course! It is the main ingredient. :-)
- Egg in a nest – If you want a breakfast that will transport you back to your childhood, sitting in your mother’s kitchen, try egg in a nest. Make a small hole in the middle of a slice, drop in an egg and flip and you have the makings of a great breakfast.
- Croutons – Cut into small cubes your day old bread and then coat the bread cubes with a light drizzle of olive oil and your favorite herbs, spread them in a single layer on a cookie sheet, put in the oven around 375 for 15 minutes and you have the best croutons in the world. If you want to get daring, try tossing them with some roasted garlic, cayenne or dried mint right as they come out of the oven.
- Breadcrumbs – Take your croutons (see #5) and smash the heck out of them. Super simple, breadcrumbs.
- Toast – It is already lacking a little moisture, why not dry it out some more and put some butter and jelly on it?
- Grilled cheese – The more exotic the bread and cheese, the better. Experiment with Gouda and an Italian focaccia or some other cheese variety you can find.
- Cinnamon toast – Spread some butter on your sliced bread and sprinkle some cinnamon and sugar mixture on top of the bread.
- Make Garlic bread – The all time use for left over French bread, but the idea can be applied to almost any other type of day old bread for a slight twist on an old classic.
- Feed the birds – Birds can’t really tell the difference between fresh bread and day old bread, or if they can, they are not too picky. Either way this is a great re-purposing of your day old bread. Hey grab your camera you may get some great pictures of them.
- Toss it – Listen, there comes a point when you have to say goodbye. If you can crack your granite counter top with it or it starts becoming a science project (you know growing stuff ewwww), now is probably that time.
So go grab a loaf or two of day old bread from your local bakery and get creative. After all, it’s cheap and you can never have enough French toast (yummm).
