Ways To Use Up Stale Bread

It's estimated that up to a third of all the food we buy ends up being thrown away uneaten, a level of wastage which would be unheard of for our more thrifty forebears. Although all kinds of food are wasted, this article will hopefully give you some ideas on how to make use of just one: stale bread. Every little helps!

Breadcrumbs - Blitz your leftover bread in a food processor to make fresh breadcrumbs which can be used in all sorts of recipes. If you spread these crumbs thinly on a baking tray and dry in a low oven, they will last indefinitely in an airtight container.

Panzanella - Many Italians use up their stale bread in a salad of roasted peppers, tomato, onion, basil, and - crucially - bread soaked in vinegar. Mix and match the ingredients depending on what needs using up in your salad drawer, and you have a very thrifty meal indeed.

Bread and Butter Pudding - A classic recipe borne out of the need to waste nothing when money is tight. Worth revisiting if your only experience of it was as a dismal school pudding.

Use in Soups and Stews - A slice of stale bread in the bottom of the soup bowl is a traditional way of padding out a soup, making it go further and thickening it at the same time.

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