What do I do with alllll this bread??
October 26, 2006 5:55 PM   Subscribe

What can I do with just-turned-stale bread, besides make French toast?
posted by Lisa S to Food & Drink (33 answers total) 5 users marked this as a favorite
 
Croutons?
posted by pompomtom at 5:55 PM on October 26, 2006


Like Italian?
posted by Science! at 5:59 PM on October 26, 2006


Take it to the park or cemetery and feed the ducks.
posted by Jess the Mess at 6:02 PM on October 26, 2006


I was going to say croutons, too. You can also oven-toast it and process it into breadcrumbs; they will keep in the fridge for quite a while.
posted by Siobhan at 6:03 PM on October 26, 2006


Well...it's sort of a lot like French Toast, but different....

...Bread Pudding.
posted by redsparkler at 6:04 PM on October 26, 2006


I second the ducks suggestion. Also, swans if you have any near you.
posted by krisjohn at 6:05 PM on October 26, 2006


Stale bread makes great binder for meatballs or meatloaf. Use it in place of the breadcrumbs, but don't tear it up as small as crumbs — it'll make for a moister and more varied texture.
posted by nebulawindphone at 6:12 PM on October 26, 2006


fondue.

A second for bread pudding.

Also make bread crumbs for breading fried foods.
posted by Good Brain at 6:13 PM on October 26, 2006


Don't waste that stuff on ducks. Gazpacho is the old Spanish answer to your question. Gazpacho is also one of the nicest foods in the world.

Of course, you could also go to this handy page.
posted by koeselitz at 6:14 PM on October 26, 2006 [1 favorite]


Stuffing!

An (appetite-killing) appropriate side-note, starting in the summer my grandmother would start keeping a "bread drawer" in which all scraps, ends, and rinds were deposited. This was her pool from which the Thanksgiving stuffing was drawn.

But hey, raising five kids who are all unter 12 in a five-room house without electricity or running water (that's 50 miles from the nearest town) is bound to instill one some interesting customs.
posted by hermitosis at 6:26 PM on October 26, 2006


Garlic bread? Cheesy garlic bread!
posted by lundman at 6:28 PM on October 26, 2006


If it's a big loaf, and not sliced bread...On the rare event I let a big loaf go, I do what my Latin teacher used to do. Rip it into inch-ish chunks, dip it in milk for a few moments, and fry it in olive oil. Serve with honey and walnuts.
posted by cobaltnine at 6:36 PM on October 26, 2006 [3 favorites]


Stale bread can be used in gazpacho.
posted by StickyCarpet at 6:44 PM on October 26, 2006


My yiayia would vote for skordalia.
posted by Opposite George at 6:46 PM on October 26, 2006


Taramosalata is heaven on Melba toast.

You can also freeze the bread and use it later as breadcrumbs.
posted by Addlepated at 6:52 PM on October 26, 2006


Hate to rain on the ducks' parade, but feeding them bread makes them accustomed to being fed instead of eating what they are supposed to and migrating, and attracts Canadian geese which are overcoming the parks, rivers and lakes of the Eastern US. It's just not good for the eco-system, no matter how cute it is that they are eating your bread.

My neighbor feeds the birds bread all year and they don't fly south for the winter looking for food any more, and I find a lot of dead ones during the winter, which is sad. I say go for incorporating it in meatballs - wet it a bit with water, incoporate into a ground veal, pork, beef mixture with some fresh parsley, an egg or two, some parmesan cheese and you can throw those delicious meatballs raw directly into your sauce for a half hour and they come out soft and yummy.
posted by WaterSprite at 7:03 PM on October 26, 2006


Make up an olive oil dip and eat it tonight!

In some places it's illegal to feed birds, so be aware of that.
posted by drstein at 7:05 PM on October 26, 2006


Make bruschetta.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 7:20 PM on October 26, 2006


microwaving just stale bread magically revives it.
posted by Infernarl at 7:50 PM on October 26, 2006


You can football till it crumbles.
posted by pwally at 8:21 PM on October 26, 2006


*play football, now theres no chance of that being funny.
posted by pwally at 8:22 PM on October 26, 2006


Excellent ideas, all around. Also remember, you can freeze it and do something like croutons, breadcrumbs, or bread pudding later.
posted by mostlymartha at 9:03 PM on October 26, 2006


Google recipes for Panzella (Italian bread salad) or make this incredible soup.
posted by chickletworks at 9:17 PM on October 26, 2006


"On the way back he said to his mother, very casually, 'Tell me ... what would be a good thing to do with three slices of stale toast?' His mother was a very surprising woman. Most mothers would have said, 'Throw them away,' or else pretend not to have heard; not Mrs. Grimble. She put down the parcel, sat on the pavement, and said, 'Three pieces of stale toast. I know exactly what you can do. You can make welsh rarebit with some cheese and an egg and some mustard, if you like mustard, and I shall pay you 2p for every welsh rarebit you make.'"
(From Grimble at Christmas by Clement Freud, now Sir Clement Freud and justly so.)
posted by Hogshead at 9:29 PM on October 26, 2006


Butter it and put pate on it.
posted by ikkyu2 at 9:31 PM on October 26, 2006


Compost.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 9:53 PM on October 26, 2006


Oooh yeah - Sir Freud (via Hogshead) wins.
posted by Opposite George at 9:54 PM on October 26, 2006


My family used to make the Russian drink Kvas out of stale bread. Basically, beer, but can also be sweet and (relatively) nonalcoholic. Easy to make. Here's a recipe which sounds about right. Note that since your bread is already stale, you don't need to dry it in the oven.
posted by alexei at 10:44 PM on October 26, 2006


Whenever I have some stale bread, I make Roman Bread Soup. It's a great way to use up some extra-ripe tomatoes, too!
posted by poq at 7:43 AM on October 27, 2006


French Onion Soup.
posted by chococat at 10:07 AM on October 27, 2006


Bread soup is my vote, too.
As for compost, my gramma has had a compost pile that is the envy of all her gardening friends for years and never lets anything cooked (like bread) anywhere near it, I think maybe because the salt isn't good for whatever biological magic goes on inside.
posted by cilantro at 10:29 AM on October 27, 2006


I second meatloaf. It's actually my favorite dish, by far.
posted by catkins at 10:43 AM on October 27, 2006


Strata. It is like a bread pudding but savory. I put shallot, spinach, and swiss cheese in it and serve it as a main course. I make it several times a month and never get tired of it as you can stuff just about anything in there.
posted by Foam Pants at 11:35 AM on October 27, 2006


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