What to Do With Leftover Bread (10 Homemade Recipes)

The unfortunate reality about bread is that it does not last very long. That lovely loaf of sourdough becomes hard after a few days, and that delightful, soft sliced bread becomes crunchy all too fast. It’s really a pity!

However, never, ever throw away leftover bread! There’s so much you can do with stale bread that you could start looking forward to it.

Take a look at these fantastic ways to repurpose leftover bread and turn garbage into a delectable treat.

1 – French Toast

French toast may be made using leftover bread. The reason for this is because while making French toast, the bread must soak in an egg and milk combination.

Soaking the bread softens it again, preventing crisp, unappealing meals. The egg and milk mixture revitalizes the bread!

Because it is so dry, old bread is great for French toast. The dry bread is a positive thing in this scenario! The desiccated bread will absorb more of the French toast mix, enhancing the flavor once cooked (the more egg mix you can get into that bread, the better!).

French toast is also an excellent make-ahead breakfast option, and leftover bread is fantastic. Pour the French toast ingredients over the diced up leftover bread in a casserole dish.

Wrap it in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge overnight before baking the following morning! Allowing the bread to remain overnight guarantees that all of the egg mixture has been absorbed and the bread is as good as new. So delectable.

2 – Breadcrumbs

If your bread has become really hard and you believe there is no way to rescue it, now is the time to create breadcrumbs. After all, breadcrumbs are nothing more than dry bread.

In fact, you’ll need to dry out the leftover bread even more to produce breadcrumbs. You simply do not want any wetness!

Bake the bread for 30 minutes at 250°F, then crumble it by hand or pulse it in a food processor to break it up. Once you’ve got beautiful little crumbs, keep them in an airtight container.

Breadcrumbs may be used for anything! Make breaded chicken cutlets or incorporate it into meatloaf. Your expensive, stale bread gets a new lease on life.

3 – Croutons

Croutons are an excellent way to repurpose leftover bread. It simply takes a few minutes to transform your stale bread into wonderful, crispy croutons that you can keep for weeks.

Cut the bread pieces into cubes and place them on a baking pan. You may either sprinkle the chopped bread with olive oil and spices or leave it simple.

Place the tray in a 250°F oven for 30 minutes, then remove the croutons to cool. Croutons made from leftover bread can elevate your salads to gourmet status!

4 – Toast

When your bread is just beginning to become stale but still has some life in it, just heat it up. Warmth softens the bread and gives it a fresh texture. If the bread browns somewhat, the crunchiness will no longer be linked with staleness; it will just be toast!

Spread some butter on top or smear some avocado on the toast, and your mouth will wet for the remaining bread.

5 – Bruschetta

Bruschetta is a real appetizer classic made of tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, and basil served on bread. If you’ve ever eaten a nice bruschetta, you know that a good piece of bread is required as the basis of the dish.

When you spread the mixture over the bread, all of the lovely liquid from the tomatoes and oil soaks into the bread, making it mushy and too soft to hold the toppings. However, if you use firmer leftover bread, you will not have this difficulty!

Slice up the remaining bread and lay the bruschetta mixture on top, drizzled with more juice. Your remaining bread will actually assist the bruschetta in holding its shape and making it simpler to devour!

6 – Bread Pudding

Bread pudding, both savory and sweet, is made from leftover bread. It is the foundation of bread pudding and is very necessary.

Because bread pudding requires the bread to absorb as much of the liquid mixture as possible, a crusty, hard, aged bread is ideal. When the bread is dry, it absorbs a lot of the delightful, juicy mixture, guaranteeing that your product is flavorful.

Using tougher, leftover bread will also help the bread pudding retain some of its structure. If you use too soft bread, the bread pudding will turn into mush. It could still be edible, but it will be a sloppy purée of bread and eggy milk.

When you have a firmer bread, the completed result should resemble bread. The bread’s form will be evident, and it will just have greater visual appeal.

You may prepare savory bread pudding using leftover bread, such as a cheese and herb combination, or a sweet dessert with cinnamon, which is a traditional taste. Bread pudding is one of the best ways to use up leftover bread since it is so adaptable!

7 – Panzanella

Prepare to be amazed if you’ve never heard of this incredible dish. Panzanella is an Italian bread salad that is entirely made of old bread.

Yes, this dish is always done using leftover bread. So, if you have a stale bread laying around, this is the recipe for you.

You’ll need a loaf of leftover bread mixed with tomato, cucumber, bell peppers, basil, onion, red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Toss everything together and set aside to let all of the flavors to combine. Serve the panzanella cold and you’ll never look at old bread the same way again–it’s not old, it’s simply getting ready to be panzanella!

8 – French Onion Soup

The melted cheese-coated bread that lies on top of the soup is one of the greatest elements of French onion soup. The bread is soft from the soup but not mushy, and it is very required to round out a bowl of French onion soup.

What would be ideal for that top piece of bread? Bread that was left over. The firm texture will keep the bread from becoming soggy. So, if you have any leftover bread, this French Onion soup is crying your name!

9 – Meatballs

An classic Italian trick for making soft, juicy meatballs is to include slices of bread into the meatball mixture. Break up the bread and knead it into the meatball mixture.

When using old bread, you may also eliminate any bread crumbs called for in the recipe since this will work in lieu of the crumbs (and work better!).

When you cook the meatballs, the bread absorbs all of the wonderful fluid released by the cooking meat and traps it within the meatball. The result: delicate, delicious meatballs unlike any you’ve ever tasted! For the win, use old bread!

10 – For the Birds

If you don’t like any of the above-mentioned methods to utilize leftover bread, feed it to the birds instead! Toss a few broken up pieces of bread out your backdoor for the local birds to eat!

While you will undoubtedly make friends with all of your bird guests, bear in mind that not every bread is suitable for birds. Whole grain or seeded breads that you may have on hand are ideal.

Remember that after you put out a few pieces, numerous birds will come to you as their preferred food source. A delicious bit of leftover bread has never flown away from a bird!

Clearly, there are several uses for leftover bread. In fact, it shouldn’t even be termed leftover bread; instead, it should be called repurposed bread. You should never contemplate throwing out the bread from yesterday. That bread still has a lot of life in it!