ChefTalk.com › ChefTalk Cooking Forums › Cooking Discussions › Food & Cooking › What to do with stale bread?
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

What to do with stale bread?

post #1 of 26
2/15/10 at 8:35am
Thread Starter 
Ok, im sure many of you guys have this issue: a whole ton of stale bread that diners didnt eat or that you prepped for service but wasnt used.

We're trying to figure out of course, how much bread we can use as little as possible, but its difficult considering on some nights we're full to the brim and sadly, nights where zero customers came in.

Nevertheless, what we're doing right now is just drying any left over bread (or its trimmings) and grating it to make bread crumbs that is relatively fine in texture. Besides using it for the occasional stuffing or as a thickener, anyone else have ideas for using bread crumbs and mangled trimmings, bits and peices of seriously stale bread?

I thought of a bread and butter pudding but it would be impossible to plate nicely, since like ive said, its all mangled.
Reply

Featured Stories on ChefTalk.com

A clinical look at how a restaurant runs
Follow ChefTalk on Pinterest!
Great product that allows you to manually adjust the sharpening angle for each knife
post #2 of 26
2/15/10 at 8:57am
croutons come to mind almost instantly, every place I have ever worked made croutons out of old bread. and no such thing as too many. Also there is a pasta dish with bread called Panzanella. I just googled the name I knew there was a dish but I have never made it.
"In those days spirits were brave, the stakes were high, men were real men, women were real women, and small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri were real small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri. "
Reply
post #3 of 26
2/15/10 at 8:58am
Oh, no, not at all difficult to plate, but if you are going to use it for a pudding, don't grind/grate to crumbs, but cut into cubes. Then dry it in the oven. Even the mangled bits will work.

When you make the pudding, let the mixture sit before you bake it so the liquid/custard really soaks into the bread and doesn't end up too wet when baked. Bake it in a well-greased hotel pan and let it cool and firm up. Cut into portions and reheat each portion on a sizzle plate, then plate with sauce, garnish, etc.

Remember that you can make bread puddings savory as well as sweet. I was just discussing a cauliflower bp on another discussion board. I like to add sauteed mushrooms -- it can make a good vegetarian entree. And if you have other prepped vegetables you need to use up, you're saving even more. :peace:
"Notorious stickler" -- The New York Times, January 4, 2004
Reply
post #4 of 26
2/15/10 at 11:45am
Gazpacho bread salad, bread soup, rouille
Wisdom comes with age, but sometimes age comes alone.
Reply
post #5 of 26
2/15/10 at 11:54am
Bread pudding both traditional and chocolate with a whiskey sauce.
Apple or fruit crisp
croutons asst flavors
Does not matter if bread mangled for bread pudding. Dice it large and after baking cut into squares.
Stuffed mushrooms
stuffed clams
seasoned and coating for rack lamb
crouquettes
crostinni
streusel toppings mixed with spice flour and butter:chef:
Also cut down on bread and buy some bread stix and make garlic bread for the breadbaskets. you will save a lot
CHEFED
Reply
post #6 of 26
2/15/10 at 2:46pm
We had a very similar issue with bread-for-sale that didn't get purchased. We are a store first, and winter is our slow time so last winter when we were new and didn't have a clue how much to order we ended up with a lot of bread and milk in our freezers.

These days our ordering is much improved but we still end up with leftovers. Our newly licenced commercial kitchen helps; we now make seasoned croutons and bread crumbs for sale, our take-out breakfasts use up a lot of bread, I slice thin and 'melba' the better breads and use them on cheese & cracker trays when I do catering. I can't stand the texture of bread puddings but the customers like em just fine. One of our more popular lunch specials is layered sliced meatloaf and stuffing 'loaf' drizzled with a pepper gravy. Our menu is strictly take out so we can get away with a lot of breaded items... I don't know if your style of food would allow for it.


:confused: On a slightly different note; what would you recommend to keep home-baked bread fresh longer? We currently package in paper bags, but I've only been putting out a few mini loaves of each kind at a time and I only bake the full size loaves to order. Nothing seems to last more than a day or so before it is doomed to become processed into something else...
Reply
post #7 of 26
2/15/10 at 3:10pm
Stuffing for various roasts - chicken, turkey, any kind of fowl you may want to stuff.

Coating in crumbed form for many things, as already mentioned above.

Crumb it for gratinee dishes with cheese.

Beer & Bread soup - check this one out - sounds perfect for what you have left with all the mangled bits:).....
Danish Beer and Bread Soup (Ollebrod)

To freshen dry bread rolls: Dip them quickly into cold water, drain, and heat in oven.
 Don't handicap your children by making their lives easy.
Robert A. Heinlein
 
Reply
post #8 of 26
2/15/10 at 3:13pm
If you can't find a solution - consider giving it to a local charity.
 Don't handicap your children by making their lives easy.
Robert A. Heinlein
 
Reply
post #9 of 26
2/15/10 at 3:31pm
You might want to check out the storage tips from Amy's Bread. They have this printed up on cards that they give out.

But yeah, the operative word in "fresh bread" is fresh. First day is fine; second day, if you can't repurpose it, give to a Second-Harvest food recovery-type organization. At least you get some sort of deduction, iirc.
"Notorious stickler" -- The New York Times, January 4, 2004
Reply
post #10 of 26
2/15/10 at 3:39pm
It is as I thought... paper bags is the best we can do.

We do contribute to several charities, so I really like the idea of donating the day-old bread. I'll just have to track down who can take it in the area. In the mean time I suppose I'll just have to keep making the larger loaves to order and keep enticing new customers with the mini loaves.

Time to go put another batch of croutons in the oven....
Reply
post #11 of 26
2/15/10 at 3:59pm
Ever heard of a 'soaker'? It's older bread that's been soaked and then with the liquid squeezed out of it, it's then crumbled and added to some dough. I heard that the resulting loaf portrays a really nice depth of flavor.

Best,

 

-T

Reply
post #12 of 26
2/15/10 at 4:28pm
If you have any bits left-over which are large enough - make rings and discs to serve as croutons.

Get yourself 2 cookie cutters of different sizes. Cut with the larger ring. Then cut inside with the smaller ring. You now have 2 pieces. One shaped as an "O" and one disc. Deep fry, salt, maybe spice up with parika or spice of choice to serve as garnishes to soups and salads. You could go crazy :crazy: and use lots of different sized rings, depending on the bread you have left.

(You can tell I recycle food :D ).
 Don't handicap your children by making their lives easy.
Robert A. Heinlein
 
Reply
post #13 of 26
2/15/10 at 8:19pm
I've done this before with honey oat bread and the oat and honey flavors really come out. Careful though, if you overwork it, the dough gets beyond chewy. My first attempt at this came out like a dish sponge.
Dammi un coltello affilato e vi mostrerò l'arte più belle del mondo.
Reply
post #14 of 26
2/15/10 at 10:35pm
make it your croutons for your next soup. ;)
Reply
post #15 of 26
2/16/10 at 4:08am
Overworked - but how? Too much kneading the entire dough?

Best,

 

-T

Reply
post #16 of 26
2/17/10 at 6:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by kokopuffs View Post

Overworked - but how? Too much kneading the entire dough?

When the bits are in the fresh dough, the remaining proteins from the cooked bread can turn to gluten and then you've got chewy bread.  The trick, it turns out, is to work the fresh dough all most all the way and then work in the soakers and finish kneading as usual.
Dammi un coltello affilato e vi mostrerò l'arte più belle del mondo.
Reply
post #17 of 26
2/17/10 at 11:15pm
Crumb the spare bread, brown in butter.  Top steamed/boiled cauliflower with it - soooo nice.  Loads of S&P too.
 Don't handicap your children by making their lives easy.
Robert A. Heinlein
 
Reply
post #18 of 26
2/20/10 at 10:45am
Or take half an hour off, go to local park, feed birds.  We used to do that when we had too much to use.  Does you and the birds good.
 Don't handicap your children by making their lives easy.
Robert A. Heinlein
 
Reply
post #19 of 26
2/20/10 at 11:54am
That's how we currently 'throw out' our stale bread.  Our property is boardered on three sides by a provincial park.  The birds (and squirrels, and racoons and deer) are getting pretty fat
Reply
post #20 of 26
2/20/10 at 1:31pm
Waste not, want not.  Sounds like a great spot you have there.  Hey, are you fattening them up for a reason?
Mmmm, breaded venison....
 Don't handicap your children by making their lives easy.
Robert A. Heinlein
 
Reply
post #21 of 26
2/20/10 at 4:52pm
 Being thrifty is good. But we should make it sure that the bread is still good to eat. So, we should do all things to save not easily throw it away. 
Reply
post #22 of 26
2/23/10 at 8:54am
Thread Starter 
ok, let me be a little more specific i guess.

I asked my chef and kinda hinted at perhaps a bread and butter pudding. He didnt take the hint but he did say there's this Italian soup made with bread, but he felt it's too rustic for our 'fine' dining restaurant. So no bread and butter pudding (cause it aint italian, we're an Italian restaurant) and no to that bread soup cause its too homey.

Any other ideas? Its a pretty lame excuse that he gave me i think, i mean, im sure tehres someway you can present it so that any soup looks good enough to be in a fine dining place.
Reply
post #23 of 26
2/23/10 at 1:06pm
The panzanella that Gunnar mentioned shows up in my search as 'an Italian bread salad'.  It might also be a bit too rustic for your restaraunt but apparently it is quite traditional, and I'm guessing you could dress it up some.  It is supposed to be a summer salad, but this is my High Google Education talking...

Another thing I've stumbled across is Skordalia, a greek sauce/dip/spread made with old bread, pureed potatoes, garlic, olive oil, almonds/walnuts, etc.  Again, I don't know that you could use it in your restaraunt, but for the rest of us...

I've been trying to find practical-for-me soaker applications.  Dark, black, rye, and multigrain recipes are dominating the scene so far.  One looked good; a 60% rye with a Guinness soaker.

Also, here is a recipe http://www.chow.com/recipes/10636 for a watermellon gaspacho that uses up 3 cups of dry bread.  A bit out in left field, but I think when the watermellons grow I may give it a try.
Reply
post #24 of 26
2/25/10 at 11:46am
Quote:
Originally Posted by piracer View Post

ok, let me be a little more specific i guess.

I asked my chef and kinda hinted at perhaps a bread and butter pudding. He didnt take the hint but he did say there's this Italian soup made with bread, but he felt it's too rustic for our 'fine' dining restaurant. So no bread and butter pudding (cause it aint italian, we're an Italian restaurant) and no to that bread soup cause its too homey.

Any other ideas? Its a pretty lame excuse that he gave me i think, i mean, im sure tehres someway you can present it so that any soup looks good enough to be in a fine dining place.
 

If your chef is talking about acquacotta, I personally think he is wrong.  Yes, it is a rustic dish, but if done well, I think it has a wonderful flavor.
"J'aime cuisiner avec du vin, j'ai parfois même mettre dans les aliments je suis cuisson. ""Mi piace cucinare con il vino, talvolta ho persino messa nel cibo sto cottura. ""I enjoy cooking with wine, sometimes I even put it in the food I'm cooking." - Julia Child 
Reply
post #25 of 26
2/25/10 at 11:47am
Quote:
Originally Posted by cyberdoc View Post




If your chef is talking about acquacotta, I personally think he is wrong.  Yes, it is a rustic dish, but if done well, I think it has a wonderful flavor.  I would pay for a well done aquacotta.
 
"J'aime cuisiner avec du vin, j'ai parfois même mettre dans les aliments je suis cuisson. ""Mi piace cucinare con il vino, talvolta ho persino messa nel cibo sto cottura. ""I enjoy cooking with wine, sometimes I even put it in the food I'm cooking." - Julia Child 
Reply
post #26 of 26
2/25/10 at 12:31pm
toast the bread, go feed bird or duck.
or throw into garbage,
I do see some stores sell stale bread, that is bad...
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Food & Cooking

Featured Stories on ChefTalk.com

A clinical look at how a restaurant runs
Follow ChefTalk on Pinterest!
Great product that allows you to manually adjust the sharpening angle for each knife
ChefTalk.com › ChefTalk Cooking Forums › Cooking Discussions › Food & Cooking › What to do with stale bread?