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Leftover bread should never be thrown away just because it is a few days old. It may have lost some of its moisture content but that means it’s perfect for making bruschetta, croutons and breadcrumbs. Croutons require frying cubes of bread in a pan. For bruschetta, fry sliced bread in olive oil, then rub the crispy surface with garlic and ripe tomato. If you’re feeling adventurous, you could also create a rich and decadent bread pudding, French toast or garlic bread.

French toast

To make four slices of French toast, simply beat two eggs with two tablespoons of sugar, 4 tablespoons of milk and some cinnamon to taste. Melt some butter in a pan and when it starts to foam, dip both sides of each slice of bread into the mixture.

Fry the bread on both sides until golden brown and drain. Serve with a dusting of sugar, honey or some cheese and fresh fruit.

Leftover bread and custard pudding

This pudding is similar to a bread and butter pudding but then it uses pastry cream, which makes it dense. You can use any kind of leftover bread in this recipe, including croissants, pain au chocolate or even cake. Grease an oven-proof dish with butter, line it with lightly buttered baking paper and preheat your oven to 180 degrees celsius.

The following ingredients will give you six generous servings: 500 grams of leftover bread (or whatever else you decide to use), 300 grams of pastry cream, 200 grams of sultanas, 5 tablespoons of rum and some icing sugar for dusting. Prepare the bread by placing it in a food processor. Use a low speed with a paddle in order to create rough crumbs.

Mix the crumbs with the pastry cream, rum and sultanas and spoon the mixture into your prepared dish. Keep the top uneven so that you end up with crispy peaks. Bake for 35 minutes to three-quarters of an hour until the top is golden brown in colour. Allow the dish to cool before cutting it into chunks and dusting it with some icing sugar.

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