8 Delicious Things You Can Make With Stale Bread

While fresh bread is far more delicious than anything that's sold in a plastic bag, it almost always goes stale after a day or two. Not only is this so annoying, but it's also a total waste!

Your first inclination is probably to toss it into the garbage, compost it or head to the park and feed the ducks, but here's a better idea: Breathe new life into your loaf with these eight delicious uses for stale bread.

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Make homemade croutons.

Even when they're made with stale bread, homemade croutons will still taste fresher and more flavourful than most of what you'll find at the store. And making them couldn't be simpler: Start by slicing bread into cubes, drizzle them with olive oil, and toss with whatever herbs or spices you like. (Dried rosemary, oregano or thyme are especially tasty.) Spread the bread cubes out on a baking sheet, and bake at 175°C for 15 minutes, or until the bread is browned and toasty.

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Fry up some French toast.

While it may seem a bit counterintuitive, next time you make French toast try using stale bread instead of fresh. Dry bread that's a few days old will sop up more of the egg and milk mixture, so your French toast will have a creamier, more custard-like coating.

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Try DIY bread crumbs.

Bread crumbs are supposed to be dry and crunchy, which makes stale bread the perfect base ingredient for a homemade batch. Start by cutting your bread into cubes, then run them through the food processor until the texture is fine and crumbly. Use them as is in any recipe that calls for plain bread crumbs, or add fresh or dried herbs, lemon zest and grated Parmesan to make them Italian-style.

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Cook a batch of bread soup.

Ribollita, or Tuscan bread soup, is really just pasta e fagiole that uses stale bread instead of macaroni. Like most vegetable soups, there are about a million variations out there. But the basic method is the same: About 15 minutes before your soup is finished cooking, stir in your stale bread cubes. The bread will soak up some of the flavourful broth, act as a thickener, and generally make your soup more delicious.

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Whip up some romesco sauce.

Romesco, the classic Spanish red capsicum sauce, just so happens to use dry bread cubes or bread crumbs as a thickener. To make it, purée a jar of roasted red capsicum in a food processor with toasted almonds, garlic, red wine vinegar, olive oil, smoked paprika and stale bread cubes to form a thick, chunky sauce. (The consistency should be similar to a chunky marinara sauce.) Use it as a dip for raw veggies, spread it on a sandwich, or pour some on pasta in place of tomato sauce.

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Bake a better strata.

Add some stale bread cubes to your favourite frittata or crustless quiche recipe before baking and viola! You have strata, an egg casserole that's traditionally made with day-old bread. Now, there's no need to serve brunch with a side of toast or potatoes—the carbs are baked right into the main dish.

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Create pizza toast.

Spread tomato sauce on one side of your bread, add some shredded mozzarella cheese, and top with your favourite pizza toppings—like sliced olives, sautéed mushrooms, or chopped and steamed broccoli florets. Bake at 175°F for 8 to 10 minutes or until the cheese is melty, and you've got lunch or a hearty snack. Unlike fresh bread, the crispy, stale kind won't get soggy beneath layers of pizza toppings.

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Try an easier way to make stuffing.

Now's your chance to make everyone's favourite turkey side dish on a day that isn't Christmas. Most stuffing and dressing recipes instruct you to toast the bread cubes until they're dry and crumbly anyway. When you use stale bread instead of fresh, you can consider that step taken care of.