No pity for old croutons: our ideas against wasting bread
No need to throw away stale bread: recipes to repurpose it are so good they make us want to let our baguette go stale just so we can cook them. 4 ideas to repurpose stale bread leftovers.
Idea #1: garlic croutons
Nothing better to lighten up a soup or salad, the basics of our daily meals. Take your slices of stale bread (baguette, loafs, wholegrain...) and rub them with a fresh garlic clove. Dice them and coat them in olive oil. Then, brown them for a few minutes in the oven. Perfect croutons with a bag of Bonduelle’s frisée and bacon bits in a Caesar salad; or to top a cream of soup made with already cut vegetables (“My vegetable tricks for soups” by Bonduelle, choice of zucchini, green beans, broccolis and peas or pumpkin, butternut and onions). The fight against food waste and more specifically bread waste is great for the environment… and tasty!
Idea #2: bread crumbs
Another kitchen staple, breadcrumbs are easy to prepare at home. You need an efficient kitchen appliance to be able to mix a large quantity of stale bread so as to obtain a more or less thin powder depending on the expected use: sprinkling some on vegetable casseroles (spinach, cauliflower...) or Provence-style tomatoes, breaded fish, breaded cutlets... Another great way to use them: stuffings or meatloafs to which breadcrumbs bring softness.
Idea #3: bruschettas
Journey on the other side of the alps where Italians enjoy bread leftovers with specialties to die for. Bruschetta allows you to recycle slices of stale bread by coating them in olive oil – rubbing some garlic as well, up to you –, then garnishing them like large savoury toasts. The vegetables are kings, to vary depending on the season: fresh or sundried tomatoes, grilled aubergines, grilled mushrooms, avocado slices... They can be combined with tasty ingredients such as ham, olives, anchovies, parmesan shavings. The final touch: a few rocket leaves or young sprouts by Bonduelle added at the last minute.
Idea #4: French toasts
In France, French toasts remain the most common way to avoid wasting bread. This dessert made by beloved grandmothers is traditionally prepared on stale bread slices, soaked in a mixture of milk, beaten eggs and sugar, and grilled in butter. To enjoy with some caster sugar, maple syrup, honey, custard, milk jam, fresh fruits... It is not fancy baking but it is much healthier than the industrial desserts you can find at the store. For those preferring savoury tastes, the recipe also works with some cheese – skip the sugar – or made “welsh rarebit” style with a beer and cheddar sauce. With a nice salad, it is a quick and easy dish. Who said that fighting against bread waste had to be a dull endeavour?
What about in bakeries?
Food waste is a matter concerning all the actors involved throughout the food chain. The industry, supermarkets, restaurants, school cafeterias, artisans and other professional brands are also trying to reduce their waste. When it comes to bread, a study by ADEME showed that losses and waste related to bread represented 10% of production in 2016. Increasingly more engaged bakers participate in actions both individual and collective to fight against bread waste and add value to unsold items: selling products from the day before at reduced price, donating to associations, preparing baskets at low prices... For consumers, the savings made is non-neglectable and these projects have the advantage of sensitising people to the tasty aspect of recycling waste... which as it turns out isn’t really waste.
Adopting the right steps to reduce food waste is now more than ever a challenge to our society!