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For so long as there was bread, there was stale bread. And for resourceful cooks, it may be simply as scrumptious as its fresh-out-of-the-oven counterpart. This humble ingredient is remodeled in panzanelle, stuffings, bread puddings, breadcrumbs, croutons, soups, dumplings, and salads. And it isn’t simply baguettes that get previous: We’ve got recipes that make scrumptious use of stale tortillas and pita, too. Do not let these previous couple of slices go to waste.
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Traditional French Toast
Matt Taylor-Gross / Meals Styling by Amelia Rampe
Sturdy, barely stale Italian bread is right for this indulgent French toast, which soaks up a spiced custard earlier than being browned in butter. The trick is persistence: Prepare dinner it over medium-low so the facilities cook dinner by means of with out scorching the perimeters. Serve with maple syrup and a dusting of powdered sugar; be at liberty to pile on fruit and toasted nuts too.
Tomato, Basil, and Cucumber Panzanella with Grated Tomato Balsamic French dressing
Samin Nosrat’s tackle the basic Tuscan bread salad transforms day-old sourdough into golden croutons that absorb ripe tomato juice and balsamic French dressing. Tossed with cucumbers, crimson onion, and aromatic basil, it’s a vibrant and deceptively easy dish that celebrates peak-season produce.
Kielbasa, Apple, and Onion Strata with Mornay Sauce
This hearty breakfast casserole from Portland, Oregon–based mostly chef Elias Cario layers smoky kielbasa with candy apples, caramelized onions, and loads of cheese. Serve wedges with honey, salt, and creamy Mornay sauce.
Caesar Salad
Victor Protasio / Meals Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
Day-old bread takes heart stage on this Caesar, was wealthy, savory croutons with the assistance of anchovy-infused butter. Tossed with crisp Little Gem lettuce and a basic Parmesan-egg dressing, each chunk balances crunch, creaminess, and umami depth.
Chocolate Bread Pudding with Bourbon Caramel Sauce
Meals & Wine / Picture by Morgan Hunt Glaze / Meals Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle
Stale cubes of challah absorb a bittersweet chocolate custard on this decadent bread pudding topped with a drizzle of bourbon caramel from chef Amber Huffman. Any ethereal white bread will work nicely on this recipe, if you would like to experiment with brioche and even plain croissants.
Pan con Tomate y Jamón de Serrano (Tomato-Rubbed Bread with Serrano Ham)
Meals & Wine / Picture by Kelsey Hansen / Meals Styling by Lauren McAnelly / Prop Styling by Joseph Wanek
A Catalan basic, pan con tomate transforms stale bread by rubbing it with ripe tomatoes and drizzling it with golden olive oil. José Andrés’ model provides Serrano ham for a savory flourish. A mainstay in each tapas bars and kitchens, the dish is endlessly adaptable with cheese, anchovies, or grilled greens.
Creamy Farfalle with Broccoli Crumble
Victor Protasio / Meals Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
2019 F&W Finest New Chef Misti Norris wins pasta night time with this creamy farfalle topped with a savory broccoli crumble. Roasted florets, stale bread, and garlic type a crunchy topping that doubles as a thickener when blended into the sauce. The result’s velvety pasta with smoky, charred broccoli taste in each chunk.
Wild Rice Salad
Christopher Testani / Meals Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Prissy Lee
This hearty salad brings collectively nutty wild rice, crispy ciabatta croutons, pancetta, pine nuts, and olives for a dish that works equally nicely as aspect or principal. F&W’s Justin Chapple builds layers of taste with a vibrant vinegar dressing and loads of parsley, whereas cubes of crunchy ciabatta add texture and substance.
Traditional Swiss Cheese Fondue
Julia Hartbeck
Fondue’s historical past is humble — a approach to make use of previous bread and scraps of cheese — however its convivial spirit is pure celebration. This basic fondue is made with Gruyère, Emmentaler, and splashes of wine and kirsch. Cubes of stale bread are good for dipping into the molten, garlicky cheese, alongside potatoes, pears, or pickled onions.
Vegetarian Bread Stuffing with Swiss Chard and Chestnuts
Stuffing lives and dies by its bread. This recipe from F&W’s Justin Chapple requires a country loaf — ideally stale so it will not want additional drying out. He layers in meaty chesnuts, earthy Swiss chard, and umami-rich dried mushrooms for a aspect dish that is filled with taste.
Fattoush
Meals & Wine / Picture by Jen Causey / Meals Styling by Christina Daley / Prop Styling by Torie Cox
This Levantine basic turns leftover pita into crisp crouton-like shards that absorb a tangy pomegranate-sumac dressing in a vibrant, crunchy salad filled with tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs, and greens. On this model, chef Chris Morgan tosses the pita in olive oil and black pepper earlier than baking (or air-frying) them for further crunch and taste.
Garlic Soup
Matt Taylor-Gross / Meals Styling by Barrett Washburne
At Bayona in New Orleans, chef Susan Spicer transforms day-old French bread right into a silky, garlic-rich soup that’s equal elements comforting and refined. Slowly cooking the onions and garlic coaxes out sweetness earlier than they’re simmered with inventory and bread. For those who like, a number of toasted croutons on high give the creamy soup some scrumptious crunch.
Bacon and Tomato Panzanella
Victor Protasio / Meals Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
This BLT-inspired panzanella layers juicy Solar Gold tomatoes with smoky bacon and chewy pumpernickel croutons. The bread cubes absorb bacon fats earlier than toasting, giving the salad its irresistible depth, all tossed in a sherry French dressing spiked with tomato juice.
Chorizo Migas
Migas means “crumbs,” however on this hearty breakfast dish, these crumbs are fried tortilla strips blended into scrambled eggs with chorizo, beans, and cheese. A staple of Mexican kitchens, it’s a resourceful approach to make use of up stale tortillas — and even tortilla chips in a pinch.
Lemon-Blueberry Bread Pudding
Meals & Wine / Picture by Brie Goldman / Meals Styling by Charlie Worthington / Prop Styling by Natalie Ghazali
Emeril Lagasse brightens up basic bread pudding with lemon zest and a mixture of recent and dried blueberries. Day-old bread — challah or brioche, ideally — soaks up the custard with out turning mushy, baking right into a dessert that’s each tangy and wealthy.
Umami Meatloaf with Pink Pepper–Tomato Sauce
Victor Protasio / Meals Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless
Chef Hugh Acheson amps up a weeknight staple with layers of umami from mushrooms, miso, soy, and Worcestershire. Recent breadcrumbs constituted of day-old bread bind the meat, retaining it tender and moist. The completed product is topped with a savory-sweet crimson pepper–tomato sauce.
Pretzel-and-Mustard Dumplings
In Germany, stale pretzels are reborn as dumplings, sure with egg and excellent for absorbing gravy. F&W’s Melanie Hansche’s recipe, which makes use of pretzel rolls, is a tribute to the flavors of her hometown of Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria — apart from the mustard, which is her personal tangy addition. “It is a such a beautiful bedfellow with pretzels!” she says.
Stuffed Clams with Linguiça and Arugula
Victor Protasio / Meals Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis
These Portuguese-inspired stuffed clams combine recent littlenecks with breadcrumbs, linguiça sausage, celery, and arugula. Stale Portuguese rolls, ethereal with crisp crusts, make the best crumbs to soak up all that taste.
Fromage Fort
Enormous Galdones / Meals Styling by Christina Zerkis
Jacques Pépin’s father used to make fromage fort: a mix of Camembert, Brie, Swiss, blue cheese, or goat cheese, white wine, garlic, and herbs, smeared on bread or crackers. Whereas most well-known as a approach to make use of up odds and ends of leftover cheese, the unfold also can resuscitate day-old bread, which makes for an ideal automobile for tacky toasts that may be baked and broiled.
Ribollita
This Tuscan bean-and-greens soup will get its hearty texture from slices of stale bread simmered with kale, white beans, and soffritto. Its identify means “reboiled,” a nod to its peasant origins as a method to reinvigorate leftover soup by including day-old bread.
Kish Household Two-Bread Stuffing
Kristen Kish’s household custom blends two Thanksgiving favorites: Northern white bread stuffing and Southern cornbread dressing. Born of compromise, this stuffing proves two breads are higher than one — and utilizing day-old white bread retains the dish fluffy but structured.
Garlic Croutons
Alice Waters’s iconic baked goat cheese salad is incomplete with out these crunchy, garlicky croutons. Made out of day-old baguette slices brushed with butter and toasted to golden perfection, they’re rubbed with uncooked garlic whereas nonetheless heat.
