ottawa foodies

When you buy a nice loaf of bakery bread and don't eat it all right away, what do you do on the second or third day once it is no longer fresh?

Here's what I do:

* Wet the loaf with running water (briefly for fairly young bread or thoroughly for the old stuff).
* Stick it into a preheated oven (around 350°F) until soft and crusty (5-15 minutes, depending on soaking).

The end result is a steaming, crusty loaf that is usually indistinguishable from a fresh one.

I've used this technique with great success on baguettes that are up to 4 days old.

The French dip rock hard bread in their bowls of coffee.

I knew someone who ran a Bun King. They dehydrated the unsold bread in a special machine and made croutons and bread crumbs out of it in other machines.

I don't think the plastic bags bread comes in is optimal. Usually it goes moldy if forgotten there. A bread box with good circulation just makes it dry out go hard.

Apparently bread should never go in the fridge either (starch retrogradation), though fresh bread can be frozen.

I freeze my bread. So if i buy bread from the bakery, I cut it in slices and freeze them, then just take out what I need.

I usually make my own bread, and I do this as well. Works well. A decent sized loaf last me a month.

I do a few different things. If it's really dense, I may slice it very thin, spread some oil/herbs on it and make melba toast. I also slice it or cut it into strips and use it for french toast or bread pudding. If I'm not going to use it right away, I'll freeze the pieces and they usually work out well later on.

If its a decent whole loaf and I know I won't have time to eat it I will freeze it. If it seems weird when it defrosts then I'll throw it in the oven and make garlic toast.

I let it dry out then whirl it in the food processor to make break crumbs.

I also stock pile it for making stuffing, slice then freeze, defrost a couple of days before needed and allow it to dry out. I love homemade stuffing!!

Tear it into chunks and throw it in a backing pan with 2-3 eggs, and enough milk to just cover it before it starts to soak in, plus any savoury herbs, onions, leeks or whatever similar veg you have on hand. Squish it down, not too tight. Leave overnight. In the am throw some shredded cheese on top and bake. Consume. Thank me later.

I toss mine in the compost bin. I may try your method however.. never had success with just the oven or using different types of bags to keep it fresh.

FF: I've used the same technique to bring back rock hard bagels. Maybe I'll try it with some old bread, although bread seems to move pretty quickly around my house as it is bought often in rather small quantities.

Generally, old heels of bread get tossed in the freezer for breadcrumbs or occasionally croutons, although after a while they can take on a freezer burned taste. I use a lot of breadcrumbs on pasta dishes (particularly pasta with sardines or anchovies) and to thicken chick pea/white bean, spinach and chorizo stews.

I also love to make panzanella (Tuscan stale bread salad), pappa al pomodoro, (tomato bread soup - particularly argentinian-style with poached eggs) or scrambled eggs and migas (olive oil fried croutons) with old stale bread - although I find these dishes generally aren't the most popular with others.

Fresh bread doesn't usually last longer than the next morning in my house. I just cut up in slices, put in the toaster oven until toasted, and put butter and jam and eat until my mouth bleeds. I had never heard of any of the things mentioned above, so I think i'll try that next time.

I think it's a crime to throw away any part of a loaf from Art-is-in or True Loaf. If I'm paying $9 for a loaf of brioche or levain, I will definitely try to use up every bit of it somehow. Thanks Tracinho for a few newer ideas.

If it is a dense bread like pagnotta, it makes fabulous french toast.
A little maple syrup and fresh fruit. Heaven.

I also love the bread toasted the next day. Somehow I like the crunchiness that I don't like when toasting regular sliced bread.

Thanks to Fresh Foodie for starting such a great thread! My stale bread usually gets morphed into breadcrumbs but I now have a whole bunch of new ideas to work with. I am now noshing on a panzanella right as we speak-;)

Microwaving bread 30 sec. usually softens it up.

I know some stores they make their own "melba toast" or croutons out of the old bread.

One bakery I go to (Golden Baguette) they sell a small bag of maybe 8-9 slices melba-like toasts for around $1 or $1.25.

I also think Cedar's grocery they use all the old pita bread they have to make their pita chips that they bag and season.
they are pretty good and cheap ($1.29 a bag I think).

I usually end up buying bread rolls over bread as I tend to waste less that way.
and sometimes buy those frozen baguette than you cook at home from Ace bakery- you get 3 mini baguettes for around $4 and it is the same as what the grocery store sells just frozen.