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For as long as there has been bread, there has been stale bread. And for resourceful cooks, it can be just as delicious as its fresh-out-of-the-oven counterpart. This humble ingredient is transformed in panzanelle, stuffings, bread puddings, breadcrumbs, croutons, soups, dumplings, and salads. And it’s not just baguettes that get old: We have recipes that make delicious use of stale tortillas and pita, too. Don’t let those last few slices go to waste.
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Classic French Toast
Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Amelia Rampe
Sturdy, slightly stale Italian bread is ideal for this indulgent French toast, which soaks up a spiced custard before being browned in butter. The trick is patience: Cook it over medium-low so the centers cook through without scorching the edges. Serve with maple syrup and a dusting of powdered sugar; feel free to pile on fruit and toasted nuts too.
Tomato, Basil, and Cucumber Panzanella with Grated Tomato Balsamic Vinaigrette
Samin Nosrat’s take on the classic Tuscan bread salad transforms day-old sourdough into golden croutons that soak up ripe tomato juice and balsamic vinaigrette. Tossed with cucumbers, red onion, and fragrant basil, it’s a bright and deceptively simple dish that celebrates peak-season produce.
Kielbasa, Apple, and Onion Strata with Mornay Sauce
This hearty breakfast casserole from Portland, Oregon–based chef Elias Cario layers smoky kielbasa with sweet apples, caramelized onions, and plenty of cheese. Serve wedges with honey, salt, and creamy Mornay sauce.
Caesar Salad
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
Day-old bread takes center stage in this Caesar, turned into rich, savory croutons with the help of anchovy-infused butter. Tossed with crisp Little Gem lettuce and a classic Parmesan-egg dressing, every bite balances crunch, creaminess, and umami depth.
Chocolate Bread Pudding with Bourbon Caramel Sauce
Food & Wine / Photo by Morgan Hunt Glaze / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle
Stale cubes of challah soak up a bittersweet chocolate custard in this decadent bread pudding topped with a drizzle of bourbon caramel from chef Amber Huffman. Any airy white bread will work well in this recipe, if you’d like to experiment with brioche or even plain croissants.
Pan con Tomate y Jamón de Serrano (Tomato-Rubbed Bread with Serrano Ham)
Food & Wine / Photo by Kelsey Hansen / Food Styling by Lauren McAnelly / Prop Styling by Joseph Wanek
A Catalan classic, pan con tomate transforms stale bread by rubbing it with ripe tomatoes and drizzling it with golden olive oil. José Andrés’ version adds Serrano ham for a savory flourish. A mainstay in both tapas bars and kitchens, the dish is endlessly adaptable with cheese, anchovies, or grilled vegetables.
Creamy Farfalle with Broccoli Crumble
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
2019 F&W Best New Chef Misti Norris wins pasta night with this creamy farfalle topped with a savory broccoli crumble. Roasted florets, stale bread, and garlic form a crunchy topping that doubles as a thickener when blended into the sauce. The result is velvety pasta with smoky, charred broccoli flavor in every bite.
Wild Rice Salad
Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Prissy Lee
This hearty salad brings together nutty wild rice, crispy ciabatta croutons, pancetta, pine nuts, and olives for a dish that works equally well as side or main. F&W’s Justin Chapple builds layers of flavor with a bright vinegar dressing and plenty of parsley, while cubes of crunchy ciabatta add texture and substance.
Classic Swiss Cheese Fondue
Julia Hartbeck
Fondue’s history is humble — a way to use old bread and scraps of cheese — but its convivial spirit is pure celebration. This classic fondue is made with Gruyère, Emmentaler, and splashes of wine and kirsch. Cubes of stale bread are perfect for dipping into the molten, garlicky cheese, alongside potatoes, pears, or pickled onions.
Vegetarian Bread Stuffing with Swiss Chard and Chestnuts
Stuffing lives and dies by its bread. This recipe from F&W’s Justin Chapple calls for a rustic loaf — ideally stale so it won’t need further drying out. He layers in meaty chesnuts, earthy Swiss chard, and umami-rich dried mushrooms for a side dish that’s full of flavor.
Fattoush
Food & Wine / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Christina Daley / Prop Styling by Torie Cox
This Levantine classic turns leftover pita into crisp crouton-like shards that soak up a tangy pomegranate-sumac dressing in a bright, crunchy salad full of tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs, and greens. In this version, chef Chris Morgan tosses the pita in olive oil and black pepper before baking (or air-frying) them for extra crunch and flavor.
Garlic Soup
Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Barrett Washburne
At Bayona in New Orleans, chef Susan Spicer transforms day-old French bread into a silky, garlic-rich soup that’s equal parts comforting and refined. Slowly cooking the onions and garlic coaxes out sweetness before they’re simmered with stock and bread. If you like, a few toasted croutons on top give the creamy soup some delicious crunch.
Bacon and Tomato Panzanella
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
This BLT-inspired panzanella layers juicy Sun Gold tomatoes with smoky bacon and chewy pumpernickel croutons. The bread cubes soak up bacon fat before toasting, giving the salad its irresistible depth, all tossed in a sherry vinaigrette spiked with tomato juice.
Chorizo Migas
Migas means “crumbs,” but in this hearty breakfast dish, those crumbs are fried tortilla strips mixed into scrambled eggs with chorizo, beans, and cheese. A staple of Mexican kitchens, it’s a resourceful way to use up stale tortillas — or even tortilla chips in a pinch.
Lemon-Blueberry Bread Pudding
Food & Wine / Photo by Brie Goldman / Food Styling by Charlie Worthington / Prop Styling by Natalie Ghazali
Emeril Lagasse brightens up classic bread pudding with lemon zest and a mix of fresh and dried blueberries. Day-old bread — challah or brioche, ideally — soaks up the custard without turning mushy, baking into a dessert that’s both tangy and rich.
Umami Meatloaf with Red Pepper–Tomato Sauce
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless
Chef Hugh Acheson amps up a weeknight staple with layers of umami from mushrooms, miso, soy, and Worcestershire. Fresh breadcrumbs made from day-old bread bind the beef, keeping it tender and moist. The finished product is topped with a savory-sweet red pepper–tomato sauce.
Pretzel-and-Mustard Dumplings
In Germany, stale pretzels are reborn as dumplings, bound with egg and perfect for soaking up gravy. F&W’s Melanie Hansche’s recipe, which uses pretzel rolls, is a tribute to the flavors of her hometown of Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria — except for the mustard, which is her own tangy addition. “It’s a such a lovely bedfellow with pretzels!” she says.
Stuffed Clams with Linguiça and Arugula
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis
These Portuguese-inspired stuffed clams mix fresh littlenecks with breadcrumbs, linguiça sausage, celery, and arugula. Stale Portuguese rolls, airy with crisp crusts, make the ideal crumbs to absorb all that flavor.
Fromage Fort
Huge Galdones / Food Styling by Christina Zerkis
Jacques Pépin’s father used to make fromage fort: a blend of Camembert, Brie, Swiss, blue cheese, or goat cheese, white wine, garlic, and herbs, smeared on bread or crackers. While most famous as a way to use up odds and ends of leftover cheese, the spread can also resuscitate day-old bread, which makes for a perfect vehicle for cheesy toasts that can be baked and broiled.
Ribollita
This Tuscan bean-and-greens soup gets its hearty texture from slices of stale bread simmered with kale, white beans, and soffritto. Its name means “reboiled,” a nod to its peasant origins as a way to reinvigorate leftover soup by adding day-old bread.
Kish Family Two-Bread Stuffing
Kristen Kish’s family tradition blends two Thanksgiving favorites: Northern white bread stuffing and Southern cornbread dressing. Born of compromise, this stuffing proves two breads are better than one — and using day-old white bread keeps the dish fluffy yet structured.
Garlic Croutons
Alice Waters’s iconic baked goat cheese salad is incomplete without these crunchy, garlicky croutons. Made from day-old baguette slices brushed with butter and toasted to golden perfection, they’re rubbed with raw garlic while still warm.
Molly McArdle
2025-09-11 17:57:00