Snap up that day-old bread at the store and give it new life in recipes!
Bread is expensive, particularly if you want quality bread with few preservatives and additives. Since Trader Joe’s changed their distributor, my favorite Harvest Whole Wheat Bread is now off our radar. The replacement is, in a word, unsatisfactory.
It’s been frustrating when I don’t have the time to bake since I haven’t found an affordable alternative.
I do, however, have a favorite grocery store that has awesome clearance sections throughout the store. One section that I love is the bread rack. Both my local Ralphs stores regularly mark down their bakery and artisan breads to super low prices. This is where I can save a few pennies to keep the bread box filled when I just don’t have the time to bake.
I’ve found really quality items this way that still have a couple days until their “sell by” dates. There’s nothing wrong with them, the store just wants to move them more quickly. I stock up on our favorites and stash them in the freezer.
While I love home baked bread, finding store-bought for cheap is a nice compromise when I don’t have the time to bake something myself. One can only do so much, you know?
Here are some things that I end up doing with the “day-old” bread once I bring it home:
Delicious Ways to Use Day-Old Bread:
Croutons:
I have to fight people off these with a stick, they’re so good. Homemade croutons are the only way to go.
French Toast:
French toast is a perfect use of dry bread. And it’s very freezer friendly.
Savory Bakes, Toasts, and Breadcrumbs
Forget the bread basket, incorporate dry bread into your favorite savory recipes.
What’s your favorite way to use day-old bread?
Save Money on Groceries
This is part of the How to Save Money on Groceries series. Scroll through the archives to get tips and tricks for reducing your grocery total at the checkout stand.
Diana
If it’s too dry for regular sandwiches, try toasting them by either buttering the bread or putting a little oil in a skillet. Then toast the sandwich a few minutes on each side until the filling is warm and the cheese is melted. Delish 🙂 (I even did an avocado and tomato sandwich this way and it was amazing! Doesn’t have to have cheese 🙂 )
Sally
One of my favorite ways to use day old bread is dressing/stuffing. I cut the bread into about 1-inch cubes and dry it in the oven. After that it can stay at room temperature indefinitely. I use the cubes for croutons, bread pudding or dressing or put them in the food processor to make bread crumbs.
Karen
I like to make bread dumplings or stuffing out of day old bread!
Lizzy
This week I used some day old rolls my MiL gave us. I sliced them in half, put butter on one side and brown mustard on the other, filled them with sliced ham and cheese, covered them in a 9×13 just like a casserole and popped them into the fridge for the next day. We heated the oven to 350 and popped those suckers in until the cheese was melty. Behold, a packable dinner to eat outside after soccer practice was over.
Jessica Fisher
Sounds yummy! And brilliant.
Lizzy
I do my best. And those rolls were a bit of a lifesaver. I was planning to use some party rye I had hanging around in the freezer, and I did make a few that way. My three year old was excited about the little square bread but wouldn’t get past the first nibble of rye. He ate the ones on rolls no problem, though. Yay for Nana’s day old bread!
TSandy
Two words- bread machine. It takes less than five minutes to throw ingredients into a Zo bread machine. I use the dough cycle so I can deflate the dough after the first rise and finish the loaf myself. The Zo does the work and I take all the credit.
I like your crouton recipes. Will definitely have to try your crouton recipes. I’m utterly lazy so I usually turn all our stale bread into bread crumbs.
Patricia
You didn’t mention my all time favorite (almost tying with French toast) – BREAD PUDDING!
Love your crouton ideas – will try the garlic one.
Jessica Fisher
I don’t think I’ve ever had a true bread pudding. Got a recipe you like?
Stephanie M.
I always go to the day old bread cart. Sometimes, I buy mini hard rolls and freeze them. They are good in the morning broiled in the oven with butter until browned and crisp. I also buy Italian Bread and use that for either making meatball parmesan subs or garlic bread. I’ve also bought English muffins from that cart. I wrap each one individually and put in a large freezer bag in the freezer and take out one when I want it.