Stale Bread Recipe Collection, Day-Old Bread Use Guide and Tips

Stale bread is one of the most wasted foods. Don't put in the bin, use it to make delightful recipes and ingredients for a whole variety of dishes. Day-old bread can be revived, or it can be readily used in various sweet and savory dishes when no longer suitable to be used fresh. In many dishes stale bread is preferred.

Discover the many uses for stale bread with our comprehensive guide. From the humble breadcrumbs, on to savory breakfast, then to lunch and snack dishes, and further on to delicious desert dishes and bread puddings. Take the bread revival train here.

Tips for Storing your Bread and Caring for your Bread-Box

Bread stored in the refrigerator lasts longer, but develops 'fridge-staleness'. It can be quickly revived in your oven or microwave. Simple sprinkle lightly with water and heat very briefly.

Bread that shows any signs of mold or fungus should be discarded and placed into you compost bin. It is not safe to eat.

Your bread-box needs regular checks and care, especially in summer. make sure your bread box has some ventilation. Mold forms quickly and may remain as remnants inside your bin even after you remove moldy bread. So, your bread bin needs to be checked and cleaned regularly. Regularly scald the inside of your bread tin, or wash it in very hot water. Then, dry the bin thoroughly and air it well before new batch of fresh bread is added. Make sure the area around your bread bin is well ventilated and it is kept away from direct sunlight.

The best way to store bread is in a timber bread tin. The Shuuter door provides ventilation and the timber keeps the bread cool
The best way to store bread is in a timber bread tin. The Shutter door provides ventilation and the timber keeps the bread cool. Source: Free Unsplash Images: Public Domain

How to Soften Day-Old or Stale Bread

To soften a stale bread, you need to heat it and provide moisture so that the starches will re-absorb the water lost as the bread dried and aged. Studies have shown this re-absorption happens best with temperatures inside the bread between a minimum of about 130 degrees F (60 degrees C), and up to a maximum of around 185 degrees F (85 degrees C). So, clearly it is a relatively low temperature process. The oven can be set at a higher temperature of around 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) for 5-10 minutes. This is ideal for getting the right internal temperatures, especially if the bread is wrapped in foil. Higher temperatures will cook the bread and dry it out. Care is need when you try to use a microwave to revitalize your bread. It can quickly get too hot. The starch granules can burst, and the water will float away as steam. The bread may appear to be soft for 30-45 seconds, but may quickly dry out and get hard.

Softening Stale Bread in the Oven

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) . Splash the slices or half-loaves with water. Whole loaves can be quickly fully dunked in water, or splashed! You can heat the bred as is, or wrap in foil. Wrapped bread will be softer, but the crust may be soft as well. Heat the bread on the center rack of your oven for about 20-30 minutes for a whole loaf; or 10-20 minutes for a partial loaf, bread rolls, or for a long, skinny loaf like a baguette. Then, unwrap the bread and place it back into the oven for another 5-7 minutes if you need to regenerate crispy crust.

Softening Stale Bread in the Microwave

The tricky part is how you get the moisture to penetrate the bread is very short times. You can try sprinkling the bread with water and then placing the bread inside a container that is not sealed completely. Or you can wrap the bread in wet paper towels. You can try placing a glass of water into the microwave with the bread as it is heater. The heating time very much depends of how stale the bread is, how much is in the oven and the method used to supply the moisture. Some experimentation is required to get it right. Heat the bread on a high setting for 10 seconds at first, Check the bread. Then, continue in 10-20 second burst up to a maximum of 1-2 minutes.

Stale Bread can be easily baked to make croutons
Stale Bread can be easily baked to make croutons. Source: Free Unsplash Images: Public Domain

Best Tips for Using Stale Bread

⮕ Make some fattoush - a classic vegetable and bread salad from the Middle East. This is an ideal use for flatbread, pitta, Italian bread, French bread and sourdough.

⮕ Pizza toast - Brush leftover bread slices with tomato paste and top with chopped tomatoes, other vegetables, garlic, herbs and grated cheese. Pop under the grill until the cheese just melt.

⮕ Classic French Toast - stale bread is better for making French Toast because dry bread soaks up the egg mixture better and the bread is firmer and holds its shape when fried.

See this great recipe collection Best French Toast Recipes - Simple, Easy, Healthy and Decadent

⮕ Torrijas - Spanish Fried Milk Toasts - This classic and delicious style Spanish dessert is made by soaking stale bread slices in sweetened milk. The slices are then drained and dipped in beaten egg and fried. This is a sweet variation on the classic French toast.

⮕ Ratatouille Bruschetta - Ratatouille is a classic vegetable stew that combines vegetables, fresh fruits, onions, squash, pumpkin, eggplant, herbs and whatever is fresh at the time. A delicious way to enjoy it fresh or to use left-over soup is to spoon it over Italian-style Bruschetta. Grilled day-old crusty bread is ideal. Simply splash the slices with a few drops of water, rub it will with garlic and pop in the oven for a few minutes. Top the warm bread slices Ratatouille and add a sprinkle of Parmesan on top. Stale bread is better for this dish as it is firmer and keeps its form when the soup is added on top. See the collection of Ratatouille recipes here: Best French Ratatouille Recipes - Healthy, Tossed Eggplant, Vegetables, Tomatoes, Herbs

⮕ Classic British Summer Pudding - This is a wonderful combination of stale bread and fresh berries and seasonal fruit. Wholemeal bread provides a healthy alternative with a more complex flavour.

⮕ Crispbreads - These are easy to make and work well with stale bread. This works best with thin slices of white crusty bread. Wipe stale bread slices all over with a garlic clove or spread crushed garlic thinly over the bred. Spread each slice with butter or olive oil. Bake them in the oven until crisp and golden brown. Top with cheese, tomato and other ingredients.

⮕ Classic Italian Ribollita Soup - This is a thick bread-based soup made with beans tomatoes and a range of vegetables. Stale dry bread is ideal for this as it soaks up more of the soup and retains its texture. Serve with homemade crunchy croutons made with stale bread as well

⮕ Bread Soufflé - This simple alternative to the classic soufflé is is made with bread, cheese and oil onion. It is an easy recipe to make with stale bread. 

See Cheese Onion Bread Souffle

⮕ Semmelknoedel - German dumplings, which resemble Italian gnocchi, are made with stale bread and milk. Enjoy in a soup, or as a side dish.

⮕ Fresh Homemade Breadcrumbs - Fresh breadcrumbs are easy to make from stale bread which being drier chops better in the food processor. Simply cut the crusts off slices of day-old brown, sourdough or white bread. Transfer to a blender or food processor and pulse until chopped as finely as you want them. Freshly made breadcrumbs are also better for texture and taste. They make a perfect topping for toppings for baked goods, gratins, macaroni cheese, casseroles and can be used for coating when preparing meat or fish for frying.

⮕ Bread Based Stuffings - Mix breadcrumbs or tint bread cubes made from stale bread with herbs, seasonings, fresh herbs, onions, and a little olive oil to make a simple stuffing for roast meat. Lots of extra ingredients can be added including squash, sausage, ham, cheese, spinach, nuts and dried fruit. Stale bread works better than fresh bread as it is stiffer and it absorbs the juices better.

⮕ Brown Betty - This is a classic dish made with stale breadcrumbs. Grease a baking dish and add alternate layers of chopped apples, stale bread cubes or breadcrumbs. Begin and end with a bread layer. Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon on each layer of apples. Bake until golden brown and bubbling. Serve with cream.

⮕ Taramasalata - Taramasalata  is a delicious Greek dip made with stale bread, olive oil, lemon juice, grated onions and fish roe. Smooth and creamy it is absolutely delicious and the recipe ingredient list specifies stale bread,

⮕ Mince Meatballs - Many meatballs include bread, and stale bread is just fine as it quickly absorbs juices from the meat and onion and softens. 

⮕ Fish cakes - Breadcrumbs made from stale bread provides a crispy coating for home-made fishcakes. Bread cubes or breadcrumbs are also included in many fish cake recipes, and stale bread is just fine.

⮕ Bread and butter pudding - There are many varieties of this recipe including both sweet and savory ones. It is a classic use for stale bread. To make it, you start by buttering slices of stale bread. You make a mixture or eggs whisked with, cream, milk and sugar. You layer the bread into a round pudding bowl or deep baking pan, sprinkling each layer with cinnamon and sultanas (or fruit) as you go. Then, when the bowl or pan is almost full you pour the egg mixture over the bread. Sprinkle with nutmeg and bake in a moderate oven.

See Recipe Ideas here: Easy Bread Pudding Recipes - Savory, Sweet for Dinner and Dessert

⮕ Savoury Bread and Butter Pudding - Make a twist on the usual sweet bread and butter pudding by making it making it with cheese and vegetables. Add chopped bread in layers with the vegetables and cheese to a greased baking dish. Pour seasoned milk and egg mixture on top, adding cheese and breadcrumbs on top. Then bake until browned.

⮕ Make Caribbean Bread Pudding (Pudín de Pan) - This sweet, Caribbean version of bread pudding is made by combining  milk, melted chocolate, butter, raisins soaked in rum, cinnamon and sugar. Buttered bread is layered into a deep pudding dish. Some of the egg mixture is poured over the bread in each layer as you go. The base and top are breadcrumbs. Bake in a moderate oven for half an hour.

⮕ Make some Panzanella - Panzanella is a Classic Italian salad recipe made with bread, fresh tomatoes, herbs and and olive oil. This is a fantastic way to use stale Italian or French bread, which is ideal for this recipe.

See this fabulous recipe collection - Best Panzanella Recipe Collection - Tuscan Salads with Bread, Tomato, Basil

⮕ Make Croutons - Dice stale bread into small cubes. Fry briefly in olive oil, while stirring frequently, for home-made croutons.

⮕ Make Savory Bread Pudding Cups - Cut the stale into small cubes. Place several cubes into the cups of a muffin pan. Make a custard mixture from eggs whisked until frothy. Add milk in a steady stream, while beating to make a custard. Add the salt, chopped parsley, ham, black pepper, cheese and cayenne pepper to the mixture and mix well. Spoon the custard mixture over the bread cubes in the pan. Set aside for about 10-12 minutes to allow the custard to soak into the bread. Then bake in a moderate oven. The bread forms peaks that protrude out of the top of the muffins. These get browned in the oven. This is a delightful use for stale bread that is very easy to make. See Recipes here:  Easy Bread Pudding Cups Recipe with Garlic and Herbs

⮕ Fruit Charlotte - Dip fingers of stale bread in melted butter. Line a greased cake mould (bottom and sides) with the bread fingers, ensuring complete coverage and overlapping slightly. Pour in a berry or fruit compote of your choice. Seal the top of the 'bread pie base' with some more bread slices. Bake in a moderate oven for 30-40 minutes until golden brown.

⮕ Make Bread Sticks - Remove the crusts from slices of stale bread. Cut in thin strips. Roll in melted butter and bake or fry until crisp and dry. These bread sticks can be served with dips and cheese instead of crackers.

Stale Bread added to a pan with a beaten egg and milk can make a simple desert. To with spices and raisins
Stale Bread added to a pan with a beaten egg and milk can make a simple desert. To with spices and raisins. Source: Free Unsplash Images: Public Domain

Stellar Stale Bread Recipe Collection

Simple Classic Bread Pudding Recipe

Ingredients

Method

Pour the milk into a heavy stainless steel saucepan or skillet. Heat the milk while stirring until bubbles appear around the edges. Then, remove the pan from the heat before the milk boils. All to cool and then pour into a mixing bowl. Add the bread-crumbs and butter and whisk to combine well. Add the beaten eggs, salt and spices to the bread mixture and beat well. Pour the mixture into a greased loaf tin. Bake in a moderate oven for about an hour. Serve warm topped with your favorite sauce.

Stale Bread can be used to make delightful deserts
SStale Bread can be used to make delightful deserts. Source: Free Unsplash Images: Public Domain

Simple Nut Loaf Recipe with Bread-Crumbs

Ingredients

Method

Soak bread-crumbs in milk and eggs in a medium size bowl. Add the nuts, bread crumbs, milk, eggs, spice, pepper and salt and mix well using a wooden spoon. Grease oblong bread-pan or bread-tin. Transfer the bread mixture into the tin, pouring a little extra melted butter on top. Sprinkle parsley and spices on top. Bake in a moderate oven for 30-40 minutes, basting often with melted butter. Turn out on platter to cool and serve warm.

New Orleans Style French Toast (Pain Perdu)

Ingredients

Method

Heat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a large baking sheet with butter. Remove the crusts from bread slices and discard them if desired. Whisk the eggs with the milk, salt, sugar and vanilla in a small bowl. Pour into a large flat dish large enough to allow several slices of the bread to be placed side by side. Then, add the bread slices to the dish, and flipping-over once or twice to help the slices soak up the egg mixture. Gently transfer the soaked bread slices into the buttered baking sheet. Pour the rest of the egg mixture over the bread slices. Place the baking sheet into the pre-heated oven and bake for about 15-18 minutes, turning after the first 8 minutes. Bake until the bread slices are brown on both sides. Serve immediately with melted butter and your favorite jam, honey or syrup.

Apple Brown Betty Made with Stale Bread

Ingredients

Method

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Mix the ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg together in a small bowl and set aside. Then, place the bread into a large mixing bowl and drizzle with the melted butter. Mix well to coat all the bread pieces with the butter. Grease a lidded casserole dish or Dutch oven with butter or cooking oil spray. Place about half of the apples in the dish and sprinkle with 3 tablespoons of brown sugar. The, add the rest of the apples and sprinkle with half of the spice mixture and 3 extra tablespoons of brown sugar. Add the bread and sprinkle with the rest of the spice mixture. Top with some extra brown sugar. Cover the pan and cook for 30-40 minutes. Take the lid off the pan during the last 5 minutes of baking time to brown the top. Serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Easy Egg, Milk and Stale Bread Muffins with Vegetables

Ingredients

Method

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line the 6 cups of a muffin tray with grease-proof paper or baking paper cups. Dice the vegetables into small pieces, then stir-fry them in the oil until light brown in color. Then, when cooked, add the spinach and cook very briefly until it wilts. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Next, slice the stale bread slices into cubes and place in a bowl. Whisk the milk and eggs together and pour half of the mixture over the bread. Stir to mix thoroughly. Set aside for 10-15 minutes for the egg and milk mixture to soak into the bread. Then, add the fried vegetables through the mixture, stir well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer dollops of the mixture into the lined muffin cups. Pour over the remaining egg and bread mixture. Bake for about 30 minutes until golden and crispy. Serve warm.