Bread is one of the most wasted foods in the UK but there are many uses for stale bread to stop you throwing it in the bin.
In the UK alone, 24 million slices of bread is thrown away every single day. That is the equivalent of 1 million loaves of bread.
It is estimated that 44% of this is thrown away because people don’t get around to using it in time.
The worry is that it has gone stale but that doesn’t mean it should go in the bin!
Here are 6 ways to use stale bread so it avoids being wasted:
Bread And Butter Pudding
Ahhhh the classic! We’ve all heard of this one by now. This was originally evolved out of necessity to use up leftover stale bread at a time when food was scarce. And although food isn’t scarce anymore, it is still a great way to use up that leftover bread and be sustainable.
This one is perfect too for if you need to make a dessert for a crowd. It goes down an absolute treat especially if you have any Brits around! If you’re feeling extra adventurous, you could add a dash of whiskey to the mixture just to bring an extra level of fun.
Crusty Bread Salad
Now I couldn’t just say croutons, could I? You deserve more than that. So rather than just make croutons and not have a clue what dish to put them in, let’s put it in a lovely salad. Replace your work sandwich with something a little bit crunchier.
The joy of a good salad is that you can cater it to vegetables of your choosing. Want some peppers? Chuck them in. Want some onions? Chuck them in too. If you really want to make your salad fancy, you can make yourself (or let’s be honest, buy yourself) a lovely sauce to go over the salad. A nice easy and healthy snack, no complaints here.
Veggie Bread Bake
Now I can’t tell if I am an idiot or have just been missing out my whole life. This is a masterpiece that I had never thought of doing until recently. As a pasta bake lover, the thought of having a bread bake that also uses up all my leftover food is amazing.
It is also one for all the vegetarians out there who might feel left out from some of the picks on this list. It is a perfect choice to feed the whole family and gives you an excuse to use up all the extra vegetables from that salad you might have had.
Breadcrumbs
Now we are talking. I am a sucker for breadcrumbs and I know there are fellow lovers out there who will want to try this one out.
This is perfect to pair up with some fish or chicken. Whether it is for a coating to fry up in the frying pan or to cover the whole meat to cook in the oven, breadcrumbs are versatile. Plus they are easy to make. This just makes them a perfect option to use up that stale bread in your cupboard.
French Toast
A good old French toast. Now again, we could have gone simple with a toastie but what is the fun in that? You may as well go that little bit more adventurous and international with the classic French toast.
Stale bread is perfect for soaking up flavours and not turning to mush once hit with a tiny amount of moisture. So why not take those advantages and run with them? Get yourself a beautiful French toast for your breakfast or lunch and go into your day with a good French crunch.
Bread Sauce
This had to be on the list. You can’t have a list about using up bread without some bread sauce coming out. This traditional British staple is one for the classic Sunday roast dinner.
Not only does it use up the leftover bread but it can also be spiced up using vegetables, herbs and spices to make one delicious sauce to go over the roast dinner. Love it or hate it, there is no denying that this is a great way to please a family on a Sunday.
Now you have 6 great ways to use up all that leftover bread in your cupboards. There are no excuses now.
Hopefully, with those uses, the amount of wasted bread can decrease and create a more sustainable world.