There are often situations in which I am annoyed with myself: when I forget the front door key (again) or when I remember (again) a week after a birthday that I wanted to congratulate a friend. I blame it on me being pre-planned, maybe ADHD is involved too, who knows.

But what really annoys me is when I have to throw away old bread because I forgot to eat it in time or overcooked it. Why? Grains such as wheat are staple foods. With the start of the Ukrainian war, many people suddenly realized how fragile the supply of wheat flour can be. What Germany buys in terms of wheat on the world market is missing elsewhere. A high wheat price is a nuisance in this country, but in other regions it causes famine. It's all the worse when the bread that's missing elsewhere ends up in the bin here.

Luckily, you can do a lot with stale bread. The only important thing is that it doesn't get moldy, then it really has to be disposed of. If stored correctly - preferably in a dry bread basket or clay pot, and not packed in sweaty plastic bags - bread lasts for a long time. It then just becomes dry and hard. But we can work with that.

more on the subject

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Today I'm presenting two recipes that you can make with stale bread. For me this condition means: too hard to eat, but still just soft enough to be cut with a serrated knife. If you have really rock-hard bread, you can still use it to make breadcrumbs, bread soup or bread dumplings. I'll show the recipes another time.

Today we have a

crispy bread salad

, which when prepared in a similar way always causes long queues in the SPIEGEL canteen, and

French toast

. The second is probably better known to many as “poor knights,” but the English name gets more likes on Instagram. Both dishes can be customized as desired when it comes to the choice of fruit, vegetables or even bread. And even if you don't have stale bread at home, but rather fresh bread, you can cook the recipes.

This is what you need for two portions of French toast

  • 3-4 thick slices (preferably old) bread or rolls

  • 1 egg or 1 tablespoon chickpea flour

  • 100 ml milk or plant-based drink

  • 1 packet of vanilla sugar

  • 1/2 tsp (level) cinnamon

  • some sugar or powdered sugar

  • Fruit of your choice

  • Some oil for frying

  • Optional: maple syrup, lemon zest, jam, nut butter or chocolate cream

What does this cost?

About 1 euro per serving without the fruit, which can vary greatly in price.


How long does it take?

15 minutes

It's that easy to make French toast

  • Mix milk, egg, vanilla sugar and cinnamon

    in a deep plate. If

    you have

    an

    organic lemon , you can also grate some zest into the mixture.

Enlarge image

“Fruit bread in the morning sun”: Maas, 2024

Photo: Sebastian Maas / DER SPIEGEL

  • Cut the

    bread

    into slices as thick as possible, about four centimeters is ideal. Place the bread in the mixture and soak well on both sides.

  • Bring a pan to medium heat. Add

    some

    oil

    and then the soaked bread. Fry gently (!) for about three to four minutes on each side, without moving the bread.

  • Wash the

    fruit

    and cut it into small pieces if necessary.

  • Arrange the toast on the most beautiful plate, decorate with fruit and sprinkle with

    powdered sugar

    . Jam, chocolate cream, maple syrup or nut butter also go well.

If there is any sweet marinade left over, there is no need to throw it away. With a little flour it becomes a delicious pancake batter. Or you can simply dip some more stale bread in it.

This is what you need for two portions of bread salad

  • 200 g stale bread, such as ciabatta, baguette or flatbread

  • 300 to 400 g of vegetables, such as a mix of rocket, tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, onions, olives

  • 2 cloves garlic

  • 50 ml oil for the bread, 20 ml for the dressing

  • 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar or lemon juice

  • 2 tsp dried Italian herbs

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt or seasoning salt (e.g. for fries or fried chicken)

  • a pinch of sugar

  • Optional: Cheese of your choice, e.g. Parmigiano Reggiano

What does this cost?

Without cheese about 1.50 per portion, with cheese around two euros


How long does that take?

20 to 30 minutes

It's that easy to make bread salad

  • Chop the

    bread

    into equal-sized cubes,

    toss them in a bowl with

    oil, herbs and salt

    and place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake in a hot oven at 180 degrees (top/bottom heat) for about 10 minutes until crispy. It takes 20 to 25 minutes in the non-preheated oven, but it turns out just as delicious.

  • Wash, roughly chop or chop

    the

    vegetables of your choice and mix them together in the same bowl as the

    leftover oil and herbs

    .

  • Peel the garlic

    , chop finely and add it.

  • If you like, use a vegetable peeler to peel off a few strips

    of cheese

    and mix them in.

  • Season the salad with

    balsamic vinegar/lemon, a pinch of sugar

    and

    salt

    and if necessary add more oil.

  • While still hot from the oven, add the crispy

    bread cubes

    directly to the salad, toss once and serve immediately. It's important that it happens

    quickly

    so that the bread stays crispy. If you want to prepare the salad, you can store the bread cubes and vegetables separately until you are ready to eat them.

Are you looking for more recipes that cost little money? Then feel free to follow me on Instagram. Don't want to miss a new column? Then click here to subscribe to the “Cooking without coal” newsletter. Questions and annotations? Feel free to write to Kochenohnekohle@spiegel.de.