How to Use Leftover Bread

There are many ways to use leftover bread that's not quite as fresh as you'd want for a sandwich. Read on for a lot of ideas for stretching the shelf life of bread.

Things You'll Need

• Bread
• Butter
• Plastic zipper bag
• Rolling pin
• Bread knife
• Garlic salt
• Spices of your choice
• Tomatoes
• Olive oil
• Fresh basil
• Oregano
• Vinaigrette
• Cucumbers
• Eggs
• Milk
• Cinnamon
• Strawberries
• Pancake syrup
• Vanilla
• Cooking spray

Instructions

1. Make bread crumbs. First toast the bread or put it under the broiler until it crumbles. Break the toasted bread up into small pieces and put them into a sealed brown bag or plastic zipper bag. Then roll over the bag with a rolling pin (a smooth glass bottle will work, too). Or, if you have a food processor, you can let it do all the work. Use your toasted bread crumbs on fish or meat, or toss them into a pan with butter to make a delicious crunchy topping for vegetables and casseroles.

2. Make croutons. Toast the bread or put it into the oven on 350 degrees F until the bread is really dry. Cut the crusts off (you can add these to your bread crumbs). Cut the bread into small cubes about 1/2-inch square. Toss the cubes with a little olive oil and bake in a 350 degree F oven for 10 minutes. You can sprinkle garlic salt or any other spices you like on these before they bake.

3. Make bruschetta, a crispy, tasty hors d'oeuvre that tastes great as a snack, appetizer or with any Italian food. Make this from French, Italian or leftover sub sandwich rolls. Cut bread into 1/2-inch slices. Grill or toast these until crisp. Chop 4 tomatoes (or a quart of cherry tomatoes) and mix with 1/2 cup fresh basil, a dash of oregano, salt and 1/4 cup olive oil. Spoon on top of toasted bread slices. Serve warm or room temperature.

4. Make panzanella, also known as Tuscan bread salad, for a wonderful change from the ordinary. Cut any thick and crusty bread into 1-inch cubes, using a bread knife. Toss with your favorite vinagrette dressing, diced tomatoes and cucumbers, and Italian seasoning. The amounts will depend on how much bread you have. Use 1 cup of tomatoes and cucumbers for each 2 cups of bread cubes. This fast, cheap and yummy dish stands alone or with an Italian feast.

5. Make French toast, an American staple that works great with French or Italian bread. Slice the bread the same thickness as sandwich bread. For each three pieces of French toast, use 1 egg, 1/4 cup milk and cinnamon to taste. You can add vanilla flavoring if you like. Mix up the ingredients in a shallow dish large enough for the bread slice to lay in. Soak the bread well and put it into a frying pan with a little butter or cooking spray. Serve with fresh strawberries or your favorite fruit and/or pancake syrup in any flavor.

Tips & Warnings

• You can make bread crumbs and croutons out of any bread, but be sure that the taste goes along with what you're making.