3 delicious ways to use up leftover bread

There's nothing worse than watching bread waste away.

We all have bread in the house, but sometimes it doesn’t get eaten quite as quickly as it needs to.

My kids have that annoying habit of leaving their crusts, or half a piece of toast. I can’t bear to throw edible food away.

Here are some ideas on what you can do with left over bread.

Breadcrumbs

Whizz up your stale old bits of bread in a food processor to make breadcrumbs for topping pasta bakes, or for thickening soups and casseroles.

You can freeze your breadcrumbs, or dry them out on a baking tray in a very low oven and store them in an airtight container.

Bread Pudding

Whiz up 400-500g of ‘dead bread’ in a food processor, or simply tear it into small chunks by hand. Place this in a large bowl.

Whisk 600ml milk with 2 eggs, and some salt and pepper, and pour this over the bread pieces. If you have time, leave to soak for half an hour or so.

Add a couple of good handfuls of dried fruit, and things like a teaspoon of cinnamon, or the grated zest of an orange also work well. Sprinkle the top with sugar before baking.

Slop the whole lot into a baking tin (I use a brownie tin) and bake at 180C for about 45 minutes.

French toast

This makes a delicious teatime treat, or a weekend breakfast. You need to make this with whole slices of bread.

Soak your bread slices in beaten egg (you will always need more egg than you think- at least one per person!). Then fry on both sides in melted butter until golden brown.

Serve with tomato ketchup or brown sauce and a fried egg or baked beans. Or for a sweet version, sprinkle over sugar and cinnamon while it’s still hot