Good to the Last Slice: Leftover Bread Recipes

Enlarge Image Image Gallery Lessons from history prompt us to reflect on the good and remind us of a simpler time when something like a loaf of bread was sacred and considered a valuable commodity, not discarded like waste. Photo by Kati Molin

Like many people raised in Mediterranean households, I was taught to preserve and venerate bread. Whether collecting fallen crumbs from my cupped hands while exiting church or feeding ducks with our weekly scraps, many of my childhood memories revolve around bread and how best to honor it and stretch its uses. Naturally, my grown-up menus now include homemade breadcrumbs and fragrant garlic croutons, but with so many fresh bread options available today, my repertoire has expanded to use up other varieties such as pita, whole wheat and sweet brioche. One only has to investigate the indigenous recipes of different countries to find creative and delicious ways to utilize leftover bread.

5 Recipes for Leftover Bread

• Winter Fattoush Salad
• Brioche Buns with Preserved Cherries and Rosemary Whipped Cream
• Mushroom-Leek Strata
• Vegetarian Ribollita Soup
• Baked Eggs with Pancetta, Goat Cheese and Chives 

Most countries and cultures that consume bread put its dry leftovers to good use. In the Middle East, breads like pita and lavash are added to salads. Matzo, crushed into a fine crumb, is an acceptable replacement for matzo meal when preparing matzo ball soup. In Europe, Spain’s tapas bars serve the ubiquitous Pan Catalan, or dry bread rubbed with a fresh tomato. Italy, too, finds frugal reuse of bread. Panzanella salad and ribollita and pappa al pomodoro soup all benefit from the added bulk of bread. The French added eggs and milk to stale bread to create French toast, while the British have their baked bread-and-butter puddings. Their seasonal summer pudding wouldn’t hold up as well without slightly stale white bread acting as a spongy vessel for sweet and juicy red currants and berries.