Using Up Bread
Cooking Skills: Bread 1
Chapter 7 · Using Up Bread
Skill goal
Store and freeze bread so it doesn't go to waste, and cook with the stale end.
Shopping list for this chapter
The basics
Homemade bread goes stale faster than shop-bought, because it has no preservatives. The answer isn't to avoid baking: it is to plan for the second day, whether that means freezing slices, refreshing a loaf or cooking with stale bread.
Why bread goes stale
Staling isn't just drying out. As bread cools and ages, the starch in the crumb slowly re-crystallises and squeezes out water, making it firm and crumbly. The fridge makes bread go stale faster (it is the temperature at which this happens most quickly), and the freezer stops it.
Storing bread
| Bread | Best storage | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Crusty loaves | Paper bag or bread bin, cut side down | Keeps the crust crisp; best the same day or next |
| Soft, enriched breads and rolls | Bread bin or plastic bag | Stays soft but can go mouldy sooner |
| Any bread you won't finish in 2 days | Sliced and frozen | Toast from frozen |
| Not recommended | The fridge | It speeds staling, except in hot weather or with a filling that needs it |
Freezing bread
Freezing bread: slice it first, put it in a freezer bag with the air pressed out, and label it. Toast slices straight from frozen, and defrost loaves and rolls at room temperature in their bag, or warm them in the oven. Use within about 3 months for the best taste.
Refreshing a stale loaf
A loaf that is dry but not mouldy can often be revived: run it quickly under the tap (or sprinkle it with water) to dampen the crust, then bake it at 180°C (160°C fan) for 10 minutes. It will be crisp outside and soft within, but only for a few hours: eat it the same day.
Mould
Mould: if bread has mould on it, throw the whole loaf away: the spores spread through the soft crumb where you can't see them. Don't sniff it. Keep bread in a bread bin or freeze slices to avoid waste.
Try it
Level 1 · Start here
Croutons
Croutons are the easiest way to use up bread. Stale bread crisps better than fresh because it is already dry.
Ingredients (4 portions)
- 4 slices stale bread (about 200 g), cut into 2 cm cubes
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tsp dried herbs or garlic powder (optional)
- Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan).
- Toss the bread cubes with the oil, salt and herbs on a baking tray, spread in one layer.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, turning once, until golden and crisp all the way through.
- Cool completely on the tray, then keep in an airtight tin for a few days.
Hot tray
Hot ovens, trays and steam: use dry oven gloves, pull the shelf out rather than reaching in, and put hot trays and tins on a heatproof surface. If you put a tray of boiling water in the oven for steam, pour it carefully with the oven door open a little and your face well back: the steam is far hotter than the water.
Level 1 · Store cupboard
Breadcrumbs, fresh and dried
Breadcrumbs freeze well and are useful for coatings, stuffings and toppings.
Ingredients (8 portions)
- 1 loaf loaf of stale bread (about 400 g), crusts on
- Fresh crumbs: tear the stale bread into pieces and blitz in a food processor to coarse crumbs. Freeze in a bag; use straight from frozen.
- Dried crumbs: spread fresh crumbs on a tray and bake at 150°C (130°C fan) for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until dry and pale golden. Cool completely.
- Store dried crumbs in an airtight jar for up to a few weeks.
Food processor
Food processor: unplug it before you handle the blade, and keep fingers away from it.
Level 2 · Pudding
Bread and butter pudding
A classic: buttered bread layered with sultanas and soaked in a custard that sets as it bakes. Older bread soaks up more custard and holds its shape better.
Ingredients (6 portions)
- 6 slices stale white bread, buttered, cut in triangles
- 50 g butter, softened
- 50 g sultanas
- 300 ml milk
- 150 ml double cream
- 3 Lion-marked eggs
- 50 g caster sugar, plus 1 tbsp for the top
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 pinch grated nutmeg or cinnamon
- Butter the bread slices and lay them, overlapping, in a buttered 1.5 litre ovenproof dish, scattering the sultanas between the layers.
- Heat the milk and cream until steaming (not boiling). Whisk the eggs, 50 g sugar and vanilla in a bowl, then pour the hot milk over them slowly, whisking.
- Pour the custard over the bread, pressing down gently. Leave to soak for 20 minutes.
- Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Sprinkle with the extra sugar and nutmeg. Stand the dish in a roasting tin of just-boiled water.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until golden and the custard is set with only a slight wobble in the middle and no liquid egg. Serve warm.
Eggs, heat and allergens
Egg puddings: use eggs with the British Lion mark and bake a custard pudding until the custard is set all the way through with no liquid egg. Cool leftovers within 1 to 2 hours, keep them covered in the fridge, eat within 2 days and reheat until steaming hot, only once.Hot ovens, trays and steam: use dry oven gloves, pull the shelf out rather than reaching in, and put hot trays and tins on a heatproof surface. If you put a tray of boiling water in the oven for steam, pour it carefully with the oven door open a little and your face well back: the steam is far hotter than the water.
Allergens: this contains wheat, egg, milk and (in the butter and cream) more milk.
Level 2 · Salad
Panzanella
A Tuscan bread and tomato salad. The stale bread soaks up the tomato juice and dressing. Use really ripe tomatoes.
Ingredients (4 portions)
- 300 g stale bread (ciabatta or crusty white), torn into chunks
- 500 g ripe tomatoes, chopped
- ½ cucumber, chopped
- ½ small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 handful basil leaves, torn
- 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 pinch salt and black pepper
- Put the chopped tomatoes in a large bowl with a pinch of salt and leave for 10 minutes so they release their juice.
- Add the bread, cucumber, onion and basil. Whisk the oil, vinegar and pepper together and pour over.
- Toss gently and leave for 20 to 30 minutes, so the bread softens and soaks up the juices.
- Taste for salt and vinegar, and serve the same day.
Fresh vegetables
Salads with raw vegetables: wash tomatoes, cucumber and herbs, and eat a panzanella within about a day, kept in the fridge: the bread soaks up the juices and the salad gets soggy rather than unsafe, but raw prepared vegetables shouldn't stand out for hours.
Experiments
Experiment
Freezer, fridge or bread bin
Keeping a loaf.
- Cut a white loaf in three. Store one piece in the bread bin, one in the fridge and one sliced in the freezer. After 3 days, toast a slice from each.
Look for: The fridge slice is the driest and the freezer slice the freshest. The bread bin slice is in between. This is the staling effect in action.
Experiment
Refreshing
Stale loaf revival.
- Dampen the crust of a 3-day-old loaf, bake it at 180°C (160°C fan) for 10 minutes and taste. Compare it with an untouched piece.
Look for: The refreshed loaf has a crisp crust and softer crumb. Leave it for a few hours and it goes stale again.
Experiment
Crumb size
Fine or coarse crumbs.
- Fry a piece of fish or an egg-coated slice of vegetable in fine breadcrumbs and in coarse breadcrumbs. Compare crunch and colour.
Look for: Coarse crumbs give a chunky crunch and take longer to colour. Fine crumbs give a finer, more even coating.
Experiment
Fresh or stale for pudding
Which bread soaks best.
- Soak a slice of fresh bread and a slice of 3-day-old bread in the same amount of custard for 10 minutes.
Look for: Fresh bread goes mushy and falls apart. Stale bread soaks up the custard and holds its shape.
Tasting notes
| What I tried | Method or amount | What I saw | What I thought | Will I do it again? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Croutons | ||||
| Breadcrumbs | ||||
| Bread and butter pudding | ||||
| Panzanella | ||||
| Freezer, fridge or bin | ||||
| Refreshing | ||||
| Crumb size | ||||
| Fresh or stale |
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Croutons chewy or burnt | Uneven cubes or too hot | Cut evenly; bake at 180°C (160°C fan) and turn |
| Breadcrumbs go soft or mouldy | Not fully dried or stored damp | Dry thoroughly; store in an airtight jar; freeze fresh crumbs |
| Pudding soggy and wet | Bread too fresh or under-baked | Use stale bread; bake until just set |
| Pudding split or scrambled | Custard too hot or over-baked | Cool the milk slightly; use a water bath |
| Panzanella soggy | Too much dressing or left too long | Use less dressing; serve within an hour or so |
| Frozen bread freezer-burnt | Poor wrapping | Press the air out; use within 3 months |
Eggs, heat and leftovers
Egg puddings: use eggs with the British Lion mark and bake a custard pudding until the custard is set all the way through with no liquid egg. Cool leftovers within 1 to 2 hours, keep them covered in the fridge, eat within 2 days and reheat until steaming hot, only once.Salads with raw vegetables: wash tomatoes, cucumber and herbs, and eat a panzanella within about a day, kept in the fridge: the bread soaks up the juices and the salad gets soggy rather than unsafe, but raw prepared vegetables shouldn't stand out for hours.
Hot ovens, trays and steam: use dry oven gloves, pull the shelf out rather than reaching in, and put hot trays and tins on a heatproof surface. If you put a tray of boiling water in the oven for steam, pour it carefully with the oven door open a little and your face well back: the steam is far hotter than the water.
Allergens: bread contains wheat (gluten). Check the recipe for milk, butter, egg, sesame and other seeds, and nuts, and label them if you share the bread. Gluten-free bread uses different flours and methods and isn't covered in this course.
Checkpoint: can you do this now?
- I know how to store bread and why not to use the fridge.
- I can slice and freeze bread, and toast from frozen.
- I can make croutons and breadcrumbs.
- I can make a baked custard pudding and a panzanella.
- I throw away mouldy bread whole.
Next chapter
Cooking Skills: Bread 1, chapter 8 is A Baker's Day: planning a bake day, fixing faults and writing your own loaf.