Leftover bread recipes (2024)

A collection of the best ways to use up leftover bread. 19 recipes and ideas you’ll come back to over and over.

Leftover bread recipes (1)

There are ways to store bread to make it last longer. But sometimes you’d rather just be done with it! And whether you’ve made the loaf or bought it, it feels wrong to just throw it out.

Here are the best recipes for leftover bread that will help you use up any kind: from rustic sourdough to plain sandwich bread to hot dog buns.

Bread Pudding

Leftover bread recipes (2)

Bread pudding is a great use of leftover bread, and it’s a versatile recipe because the type of bread doesn’t really matter: you can use anything from a soft challah to a rustic sourdough. You will want a stale bread for this recipe.

It’s easy to make and can be made ahead. You simple make a sweet custard of milk and egg, pour it over the cubed bread, and bake.

One of the best things about bread pudding is how many variations there are: you can make it plain, add chocolate chunks, or try one of these varieties

Breadcrumbs

You don’t really need a recipe for these. You just put stale bread in the food processor and whirl until you have.. bread crumbs. You can use fancy artisan bread, plain old sandwich bread, or even leftover hot dog buns.

Breadcrumbs are perfect for everything from breading chicken to topping baked mac and cheese. And they are so easy to make, that when you don’t feel like a big production they are a perfect way to avoid wasting your bread.

Pop these in a freezer bag and freeze what you don’t use right away; they will last for months.

Leftover bread recipes (3)

Croutons

Leftover bread recipes (4)

Croutons take a few minutes to make but are so useful. Even a super plain salad with nothing but lettuce and dressing feels special with some homemade croutons on top. And a good crouton is absolutely necessary for making the best French onion soup.

To make croutons, you’ll want a sturdy bread that holds its shape when diced. A few days old is best. All you need to do is:

  1. Dice the bread in cubes
  2. Toss in olive oil or melted butter.
  3. Sprinkle on some herbs.
  4. Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes.

You can use my crouton recipe or you can just sort of eyeball it. It’s not rocket science.

They freeze great too!

Panzanella (aka bread salad)

If you love Italian flavors, then you’ll love panzanella. It’s plate of stale bread which has been soaked in a mixture of olive oil, vinegar and tomatoes. You can add more herbs and seasonings if you want.

Panzanella is a recipe that’s best with a sturdier bread. You want each piece to stay firm, not turn to mush. It’s a bread salad after all, not a pudding!

Stuffing

Homemade stuffing is a leftover bread classic. It’s simple cubed bread with some broth and seasonings that’s baked and served alongside (or inside) meat.

You can use any kind of bread for more stuffing recipes, and even leftover cornbread is delicious.

Stuffing is traditionally made on holidays, but there’s no reason you can’t serve this for any family dinner. If you’re a regular bread baker with lots of leftovers, you’ll want to make stuffing more than twice a year. Comfort food at its best.

If you are looking for more ways to use a sturdy bread, try this recipe for sourdough stuffing.

French toast

You can use pretty much any bread for a French toast recipe, but if you happen to have leftover brioche or challah bread, you’re in luck. The softer and sweeter the bread, the better your French toast will turn out.

This popular brunch dish is one of the few leftover bread ideas that uses bread slices. Topped with whipped cream or maple syrup, it’s a crowd pleaser.

Breakfast strata

Leftover bread recipes (5)

Breakfast strata is a breakfast casserole with big cubes of leftover bread with eggs and savory seasonings poured on top. The same technique as a bread pudding, but savory and breakfast oriented. One of the best things about these recipes is that they are completely flexible. You can add veggies, bacon, sausage, more seasonings, or anything else you wish.

They can also be made at night, popped in the fridge, and baked in the morning.

French toast casserole

These recipes are somewhere between bread pudding and strata. It’s a dish that can be made in the morning or the night before, but it’s sweet and custard based.

Most of these recipes do best with a sturdy bread like homemade sourdough, but if you’re making it in the morning a softer bread will work too.

Some of our favorite French toast casseroles:

Slow cooker stuffing recipes

These are something you may never have tried, but they are easy and delicious dinners. Basically you spray your slow cooker liner with cooking spray, add cubed bread and meat, broth, and seasonings and let it slow cook.

These recipes are some of the best:

Crostini

It’s just a fancy way to say little toasts with stuff on top. If you’ve ever had bruschetta, just think of the little toasted slices of bread served alongside it. Brushed with olive oil and baked or broiled, crostini are begging for a yummy topping. Spinach and artichoke dip goes from football food to gourmet dish when you pair with these little guys.

These are, obviously, easiest with a long and narrow loaf like a baguette.

Some dips and serving ideas for these yummy slices:

And that’s all!

Hope you found a leftover bread recipe that’s perfect for what you need.

Leftover bread recipes (6)

Leftover bread recipes (2024)

FAQs

What to do with a ton of bread? ›

Leftover bread recipes
  1. Bread pudding. A star rating of 4.8 out of 5. ...
  2. Chocolate & banana French toast. A star rating of 4.5 out of 5. ...
  3. Czech bread dumplings (knedlíky) A star rating of 0 out of 5. ...
  4. Panettone pudding. ...
  5. Peanut butter-stuffed French toast. ...
  6. Tuscan-style ribollita. ...
  7. Easiest ever bread pudding. ...
  8. Bread and butter pudding.

How are stale but edible breads utilized? ›

What to Do With Stale Bread
  • Bread Stuffing. Whether you call this “stuffing” or “dressing,” no Thanksgiving menu feels quite complete without it, if you ask us. ...
  • Bread Pudding. Fresh bread is just fine for bread pudding, true. ...
  • Strata. ...
  • Panzanella. ...
  • Breadcrumbs. ...
  • Croutons. ...
  • Meatballs and Meatloaves. ...
  • Bread Soup.
Mar 15, 2024

How much bread can you make from 1 ton of wheat? ›

1 tonne of wheat makes 1800 loaves of bread.

What do restaurants do with uneaten bread? ›

Bread taken from a table is usually thrown away, since at the end of the night restaurants usually have more unused bread leftover than they can turn into croutons or breadcrumbs.

What ingredient makes homemade bread last longer? ›

Work Honey into the Recipe

Many bakers swear by the honey preservation method, which requires you to either add honey to the recipe (usually about two tablespoons for a standard loaf of bread) or use it as the replacement for your regularly scheduled sugar.

How did they make bread in the old days without yeast? ›

They discovered that mixing flour and water together and leaving it to sit for several days would cause wild yeasts to start fermenting, resulting in a risen dough. The Egyptians also used sourdough as a leavening agent, which is a natural mixture of yeasts and bacteria found in flour and water.

How did they make bread in the old days? ›

As long ago as 2,000 BC the Egyptians knew how to make fermented bread. The practice was to use a little old dough, or leaven, to “start” the new dough. These two doughs were mixed together and allowed to ferment (rise) for some hours before baking.

What bread lasts the longest? ›

Rye bread: Rye bread tends to be more dense and have a longer shelf life than other bread types. It can last for up to a week at room temperature, and up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

What were the ancient methods of baking bread? ›

During primitive times, they used form of yeast to make bread, which was often mixed with other ingredients such as honey, dates, and herbs. The bread was typically made from emmer wheat, a type of ancient wheat that is still used in some parts of the world today.

Is stale bread good for plants? ›

2. Bread and Cereal: Stale bread and cereal can be added to your compost pile or your garden soil to help feed any crawlers that are beneficial to your soil. 3. Egg Shells: Egg shells make a great natural fertilizer for your garden by providing a great source of Calcium.

How do you store large amounts of bread? ›

Freeze your bread

"Freezing bread is the best way to preserve that crusty loaf for the longest time possible. Wrap tightly in a freezer bag, either whole or sliced. I like to put wax paper between slices when I freeze, as this makes it easier to take out just what I need.

What can you do with the buts of bread? ›

There are so many other things you can do with them.
  1. Feed the birds. ...
  2. Compost them.
  3. Make fresh bread crumbs from them.
  4. Use them in a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or in a grilled cheese.

What can I do with overworked bread? ›

Bread Loaves made with over-kneaded dough commonly end up with a hard crust and dry interior. Often upon cutting, slices will crumble. If your perfect bread loaf turns into a crumbly mess, don't worry. The overworked dough will work great when used as croutons or breadcrumbs.

Can I eat bread on a bulk? ›

But if your clients' goals are to bulk and build muscle mass, the last thing they want is a low carbohydrate diet. Bread is a great way to get quick easy carbs in and can easily be loaded up with some peanut butter and sliced banana for even more carb loading.

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