3 recipes using stale bread

What can I make with stale bread?

Name: Marmalade bread and butter pudding
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 6 slices stale white bread or brioche; 4 tbsp marmalade; 3 eggs; 300ml whole milk; 100ml double cream (or more milk); 50g caster sugar, plus 1 tbsp for the top; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 40g soft butter

Bread that has gone hard is not bread that has gone off. Staling is the starch drying and firming up, and it makes a loaf more useful for cooking, not less: dry bread soaks up dressing, custard or stock without collapsing into paste, which is exactly what fresh bread does.

Two traditions are built on this. Italian cooks toss torn, toasted stale bread with ripe tomatoes and let it drink their juice. British cooks soak buttered slices in egg and milk and bake them, sweet for pudding or savoury with cheese for supper. Both work with sourdough, a supermarket bloomer, the ends of a sliced white loaf or a day-old baguette.

The only bread to throw away is bread with mould on it. Do not cut off the green patch and use the rest: mould spreads through bread well beyond what you can see, so a mouldy loaf goes in the bin, while a dry one comes in here.

Toasted stale bread and tomato panzanella

Chunks of stale bread toasted in olive oil, then tossed with juicy tomatoes, red onion and a sharp dressing so they soak up the juices but keep some crunch.

15 min prep · 10 min cookingServes 2large frying pan or baking tray, large salad bowl

You have (Stale bread)

200g stale bread (about 4 thick slices or half a baguette), torn into 3cm pieces

You’d add

500g ripe tomatoes, cut into chunks
½ red onion, very thinly sliced
½ cucumber, chopped
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
a handful of basil leaves
4 tbsp olive oil (store cupboard)
salt and pepper (store cupboard)

Method

Put the tomatoes in the salad bowl with the onion, vinegar and a big pinch of salt. Stir and leave for 10 minutes so they release their juice.
Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp of the oil in the frying pan over a medium heat and fry the bread for 6–8 minutes, turning often, until golden and crisp at the edges.
Add the warm bread, the cucumber and the remaining oil to the tomatoes and toss well.
Leave for 5–10 minutes so the bread soaks up some of the juices, then tear over the basil, season with pepper and serve.

Cheese and onion stale bread bake

A savoury bread pudding: slices of stale bread soaked in seasoned egg and milk with soft onions and plenty of cheddar, baked until puffed and golden.

15 min prep · 40 min cookingServes 4frying pan, ovenproof dish about 20 x 30cm, oven, jug or bowl for whisking

You have (Stale bread)

300g stale bread (about 8 slices), cut or torn into chunks

You’d add

2 onions, thinly sliced
150g mature cheddar, grated
4 eggs
450ml milk
1 tsp English mustard
25g butter, plus extra for the dish (store cupboard)
salt and pepper (store cupboard)

Method

Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan, gas 4) and butter the dish.
Melt the butter in the frying pan and cook the onions over a medium-low heat for 12–15 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft and lightly golden.
Scatter half the bread in the dish, then half the onions and half the cheese. Repeat with the rest of the bread and onions, keeping back a handful of cheese.
Whisk the eggs, milk, mustard, ½ tsp salt and plenty of pepper together and pour evenly over the bread. Press the bread down gently and leave it to soak for 10 minutes.
Scatter over the last of the cheese and bake for 35–40 minutes until puffed, golden and set in the middle; a knife pushed into the centre should come out without any runny egg.

Bake until the centre is set with no liquid egg left. Cool leftovers quickly, keep them in the fridge and eat within two days.

Marmalade bread and butter pudding

Buttered stale bread spread with marmalade, layered in a dish and baked in a vanilla custard. The marmalade gives the classic pudding a bitter-orange edge.

15 min prep · 35 min cookingServes 4ovenproof dish about 1.5 litres, oven, jug or bowl for whisking

You have (Stale bread)

6 slices stale white bread or brioche

You’d add

4 tbsp marmalade
3 eggs
300ml whole milk
100ml double cream (or more milk)
50g caster sugar, plus 1 tbsp for the top
1 tsp vanilla extract
40g soft butter (store cupboard)

Method

Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan, gas 4) and butter the dish.
Butter the bread on one side and spread with the marmalade. Cut each slice into two triangles and arrange them, overlapping, in the dish with the buttered side up.
Whisk the eggs, milk, cream, sugar and vanilla together and pour slowly over the bread. Leave to soak for 10–15 minutes, pressing the bread down once or twice.
Sprinkle the extra sugar over the top and bake for 30–35 minutes until the custard is just set with a slight wobble and the tips of the bread are crisp and golden.
Rest for 5 minutes before serving warm.

The custard is cooked when the middle is set with only a slight wobble and no liquid runs out when you press the bread with a spoon.

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Good to know

Too hard to cut?

A loaf that has gone rock hard is easier to tear than slice. If it will not tear, sprinkle it with water, wrap it in foil and warm it in a low oven for 5 minutes to soften it enough to cut.

Dry, not mouldy

Any sign of mould, including fluffy white or green spots, means the whole loaf goes. A dry loaf with no mould is fine to cook with even when it is several days old.

Keep it for later

If you will not use a stale loaf this week, blitz it into breadcrumbs or cut it into cubes and freeze them in a bag. They go straight from the freezer into a pan, a bake or a crumb coating.

Questions people ask

Does the type of bread matter?

Firm, open bread such as sourdough or ciabatta is best for panzanella because it keeps its bite. Soft sliced white, brioche or fruit loaf is better in the puddings, where you want it to soak up as much custard as possible.

Can I make the bread bake ahead?

Assemble it, cover and chill it for up to 12 hours before baking. The bread soaks up more of the custard, which makes it softer inside; give it 5 extra minutes in the oven.

My bread is only slightly stale. Will it work?

Yes. Dry it out a bit first by putting the pieces in a 150°C (130°C fan, gas 2) oven for 10 minutes, so it soaks up liquid without going soggy.

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3 recipes using stale bread

What can I make with stale bread?

Toasted stale bread and tomato panzanella

Chunks of stale bread toasted in olive oil, then tossed with juicy tomatoes, red onion and a sharp dressing so they soak up the juices but keep some crunch.

15 min prep · 10 min cookingServes 2large frying pan or baking tray, large salad bowl

You have (Stale bread)

200g stale bread (about 4 thick slices or half a baguette), torn into 3cm pieces

You’d add

500g ripe tomatoes, cut into chunks
½ red onion, very thinly sliced
½ cucumber, chopped
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
a handful of basil leaves
4 tbsp olive oil (store cupboard)
salt and pepper (store cupboard)

Method

Put the tomatoes in the salad bowl with the onion, vinegar and a big pinch of salt. Stir and leave for 10 minutes so they release their juice.
Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp of the oil in the frying pan over a medium heat and fry the bread for 6–8 minutes, turning often, until golden and crisp at the edges.
Add the warm bread, the cucumber and the remaining oil to the tomatoes and toss well.
Leave for 5–10 minutes so the bread soaks up some of the juices, then tear over the basil, season with pepper and serve.

Cheese and onion stale bread bake

A savoury bread pudding: slices of stale bread soaked in seasoned egg and milk with soft onions and plenty of cheddar, baked until puffed and golden.

15 min prep · 40 min cookingServes 4frying pan, ovenproof dish about 20 x 30cm, oven, jug or bowl for whisking

You have (Stale bread)

300g stale bread (about 8 slices), cut or torn into chunks

You’d add

2 onions, thinly sliced
150g mature cheddar, grated
4 eggs
450ml milk
1 tsp English mustard
25g butter, plus extra for the dish (store cupboard)
salt and pepper (store cupboard)

Method

Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan, gas 4) and butter the dish.
Melt the butter in the frying pan and cook the onions over a medium-low heat for 12–15 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft and lightly golden.
Scatter half the bread in the dish, then half the onions and half the cheese. Repeat with the rest of the bread and onions, keeping back a handful of cheese.
Whisk the eggs, milk, mustard, ½ tsp salt and plenty of pepper together and pour evenly over the bread. Press the bread down gently and leave it to soak for 10 minutes.
Scatter over the last of the cheese and bake for 35–40 minutes until puffed, golden and set in the middle; a knife pushed into the centre should come out without any runny egg.

Bake until the centre is set with no liquid egg left. Cool leftovers quickly, keep them in the fridge and eat within two days.

Marmalade bread and butter pudding

Buttered stale bread spread with marmalade, layered in a dish and baked in a vanilla custard. The marmalade gives the classic pudding a bitter-orange edge.

15 min prep · 35 min cookingServes 4ovenproof dish about 1.5 litres, oven, jug or bowl for whisking

You have (Stale bread)

6 slices stale white bread or brioche

You’d add

4 tbsp marmalade
3 eggs
300ml whole milk
100ml double cream (or more milk)
50g caster sugar, plus 1 tbsp for the top
1 tsp vanilla extract
40g soft butter (store cupboard)

Method

Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan, gas 4) and butter the dish.
Butter the bread on one side and spread with the marmalade. Cut each slice into two triangles and arrange them, overlapping, in the dish with the buttered side up.
Whisk the eggs, milk, cream, sugar and vanilla together and pour slowly over the bread. Leave to soak for 10–15 minutes, pressing the bread down once or twice.
Sprinkle the extra sugar over the top and bake for 30–35 minutes until the custard is just set with a slight wobble and the tips of the bread are crisp and golden.
Rest for 5 minutes before serving warm.

The custard is cooked when the middle is set with only a slight wobble and no liquid runs out when you press the bread with a spoon.

Got more than stale bread?

Add whatever else is in your fridge or cupboard and get a recipe built around all of it, with the steps to cook it. No account needed to try.

What else have you got?

Add an ingredient

What are you cooking with?

Free during beta · no account needed

Good to know

Too hard to cut?

A loaf that has gone rock hard is easier to tear than slice. If it will not tear, sprinkle it with water, wrap it in foil and warm it in a low oven for 5 minutes to soften it enough to cut.

Dry, not mouldy

Any sign of mould, including fluffy white or green spots, means the whole loaf goes. A dry loaf with no mould is fine to cook with even when it is several days old.

Keep it for later

If you will not use a stale loaf this week, blitz it into breadcrumbs or cut it into cubes and freeze them in a bag. They go straight from the freezer into a pan, a bake or a crumb coating.

Questions people ask

Does the type of bread matter?

Can I make the bread bake ahead?

Assemble it, cover and chill it for up to 12 hours before baking. The bread soaks up more of the custard, which makes it softer inside; give it 5 extra minutes in the oven.

My bread is only slightly stale. Will it work?

Yes. Dry it out a bit first by putting the pieces in a 150°C (130°C fan, gas 2) oven for 10 minutes, so it soaks up liquid without going soggy.

Do this with your whole kitchen

Tell Shalotte what you have in, and she suggests what to cook from it, then walks you through the cooking step by step. Free during beta.

Get Shalotte