Let’s talk a minute about bread. Nowadays you can buy fresh bread easily everywhere, and who doesn’t love the smell of fresh bread and the chewy/crunchy texture? Unfortunately, bread has a limited life span; that being said, it doesn’t mean that you need to throw away stale bread.
If you still throw away food, let me tell you that you have been living under a rock and you are a caveman. Every civilized country in the world is moving towards minimizing food waste, from the big chain supermarkets to the restaurants to your own kitchen, a huge information and education movement has been developed to stop wasting food, for the sake of the environment and for the benefit of the economy.
Now back to our own kitchens, what do we do with stale bread?
First of all, don’t give up on bread so soon because all you need is a spray bottle filled with water… spray you bread a bit to moisten it up, without actually soaking it, and then put in in the oven for a couple of minutes. There, you have fresh bread again.
The next easiest thing to do with stale bread, is transform it into crostini or croutons. Crostini will be your slices of toasted bread, to serve as a base for different toppings and serve as an appetizer. You can use the same technique to make croutons for soups and salads, just cube the bread instead of slicing it. So, cut your bread, in cubes or slices, and mix in plenty of olive oil, salt, pepper, and your favorite herbs. You can also use garlic powder, even smoked paprika. Put the bread on a baking tray and pop in the oven for 10 minutes or more until the bread is browned and crunchy. Keep in mind that the result depends on the type of bread you are using; some breads are more sweet and therefore will brown quickly in the oven, while some whole wheat breads can take more heat.
The crostini and croutons will come out better if you use crusty breads such as baguettes, or any bread without egg. For brioches type breads, go immediately for recipes that require soaking your bread in milk and egg mixture, such as:
French toasts
Bread puddings
Mamallena (which is the Panamanian bread pudding)
There are millions of variations to these recipes so you will never get tired of the same recipe, and you will even forget you are using old bread for this.
Next thing you do with your stale bread is reducing it to breadcrumbs. If your bread is not dry enough, dry it a bit in the oven to get crispy breadcrumbs. Breadcrumbs have many uses in the kitchen, the most common is to be used as coating before frying things; then you have meatballs and meatloaves, where the use of breadcrumbs in the mix is mandatory.
In Italy, breadcrumbs are used to make “polpette” which is basically like a fried meatball, but not necessarily with meat, is more similar to a croquette. The basic mix for polpette is breadcrumbs, egg, and grated parmesan cheese. Then you add whatever you have around your kitchen: ham, chopped zucchini, chopped olives, tuna, crabmeat… you get the idea. They mix everything by hand and make small balls, then drop them in hot oil. Serve these polpette with some dipping sauce as a quick and delicious appetizer.
But it doesn’t stop there; Italians have been creating dishes with stale bread for centuries, and I think they are all delicious.
Toast your breadcrumbs with a generous splash of olive oil, and then use as a topping for pasta. These are especially good on top of a simple spaghetti with anchovies, olive oil, garlic and chili pepper. Is to die for.
Then you can use your breadcrumbs as a filling for vegetables or meat. One of my favorites is Melanzane Ripiene or Stuffed Eggplants. I take the eggplant, cut it in half, soften it in the microwave for 7 minutes or so depending on the size of the eggplant. Then scoop out all the flesh, chop it or process it to a rough paste, and mix with your breadcrumbs, egg and parmesan mix. You can change the cheese you use, preferably a hard aged cheese with strong flavor. Adjust the flavor with salt and pepper, and fill the eggplant shells with this mixture. Drizzle some olive oil on top and pop in the oven for 15-20 minutes until the eggplants are nicely browned. These stuffed eggplants go well with a nice steak, or you can eat them alone with some salad. Personalize your stuffing with some chopped prosciutto, sundried tomatoes, olives, capers, even almonds. Remember, this type of food is about recycling what you already have in your refrigerator!
Another great Italian recipe that uses stale bread is Pappa al Pomodoro. Pappa al Pomodoro is a traditional tomato soup from Tuscany, and to make it you will need:
Good ripe tomatoes
Olive oil
Garlic, minced
Basil, chopped
Chicken or vegetable broth
Dry old bread, cubed
Start by chopping the tomatoes and cooking them in a heavy bottomed saucepan with a generous drizzle of olive oil, garlic and basil. Once the tomatoes start releasing its juices, start adding the bread to soak up all the flavors, and then add hot broth, one cup at a time, waiting for the bread to absorb the liquid before adding the next cup of broth. The soup should be thick, chunky and silky at the same time. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and grated parmesan cheese.
Bread crumbs are also used as a thickening agent in pasta sauces, so if your sauce is too liquid, add some breadcrumbs and let it cook a bit more. You will have creamy silky sauces easily.
Another ideas you can search and try are:
Canederli or knodel (German dumplings)
Panzanella (Italian bread and tomato salad)
Fattoush (Middle Eastern bread and vegetable salad)
Migas (Spanish dish made with bread and chorizo)
Just to name a few. The point is, never throw away food. A little creativity and proper organizations can reduce food waste immensely, for the benefit of the environment and our pockets.
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