One thing I discovered while living at uni is that it’s actually really hard to finish a whole loaf of bread. Between running to class, forgetting to eat, and ordering copious amounts of cheesy chips, the loaf I bought on Monday during my Big Shop had turned as hard as nails by Friday evening, barely touched. Here are some great tips for helping your bread stretch!
Breadcrumbs are a really easy way to incorporate your bread into other things you cook. Just butter your bread pieces with, well, butter, and a bit of garlic powder before popping them into the oven and crumbling. This is great to add a bit of crunch to otherwise texturally soft dishes, like mac and cheese or potato gratin. You could also use them to bread chicken, cheese, or tofu before frying in a bit of oil for a delicious restaurant style meal.
Bread and butter pudding is the stalwart of stale bread savers. Gently layered storeys of bread, custard, and any combination of jam/marmalade/raisin/chocolate, it’s perfect for long weeks when all you want is something tasty and sweet to curl up in bed with. My go-to recipe is this one, but I absolutely recommend substituting bits of chocolate for the raisins, or a swirl of marmalade into the custard. If you’re vegan, this recipe is also delicious.
Or maybe you’re one of those people who never say die! Just wrap whatever bread you have in a kitchen paper towel with a bit of water, and then microwave for a few seconds. This will make the bread oven-soft in moments, but you have to watch the time — it’ll go back to stale if you leave it too long!
Photo by Sarah Pflug from Burst.
