What to Do with Stale Bread

Sometimes you find yourself with an abundance of stale bread. For me, this happens when I've baked a loaf or two, or after going to the bakery, then life gets in the way and we haven't been able to eat it all. This is also common after setting out a bread basket for a family or holiday dinner. There are some thrifty dishes you can make to use up that stale bread without letting it go to waste. Waste not, want not!

Some leftover bread from Christmas Dinner.

Panzanella Salad

This Italian salad uses chunks of stale bread almost like croutons. The delicious ripe tomatoes and dressing rehydrate the bread. Since it is a style of salad, I would say you likely don't need a set recipe to put it together, but here are some suggested ingredients:


  • Tomatoes (cut cherry or grape tomatoes in half to release juices)
  • Cucumbers
  • Stale bread (recommend French, Italian, or Portuguese bread)
  • Pepperoncini
  • Basil leaves
  • Dressing of your choice (I would use extra-virgin olive oil and vinegar, plus some cracked black pepper

Panzanella
"Panzanella" by WordRidden is licensed under CC BY 2.0


Garlic Bread

When I was growing up and we had leftover bread that was past its prime, my grandparents didn't waste it. They would toast the stale bread and spread butter or margarine on it and top it off with some garlic powder. Instant garlic bread!

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