What To Do With Leftover Sourdough Bread (for less food waste)
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Let's look at how to use leftover sourdough bread so that we create less food waste. Hang on, there's no such thing as leftover sourdough bread you say? Well true, the loaves don't last all that long around here, but often we'll have a few slices of stale bread that just don't get eaten (unless I've only been making smaller sourdough loaves).
But instead of feeding the leftover sourdough to my chickens, I've been coming up with tasty new ways to use up the leftover sourdough bread and turn it into something delicious!
There really is a myriad of creative ways you can use up leftover sourdough bread, and this list is in no way exhaustive - but it does include some of my favorite recipes!
Of course, if you'd prefer to learn about how to use up leftover sourdough starter, you'll find 60+ sourdough discard recipes here (including blueberry sourdough muffins, sourdough pretzels, sourdough banana bread and sourdough pancakes!
Best Ways To Use Up Leftover Sourdough Bread (10 Great Ideas)
If you do happen to have some leftover sourdough bread kicking around, these are my favorite ways to use it up:
- Sourdough Crostini
- Sourdough Croutons
- Sourdough Breakfast Casserole
- Sourdough Bread Pudding (YUM)
- Sourdough Breadcrumbs (perfect for schnitzels and meatballs)
- Sourdough Stuffing
- Make Bruschetta
- Make an Italian Bread Salad (Panzanella)
- Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
- Sourdough French Toast (The Best French Toast Ever)
- Refresh The Sourdough Bread
It doesn't matter whether you've got just a few slices of sourdough bread leftover or a whole loaf, there's sure to be one of these amazing recipes that takes your fancy!
Sourdough Crostini (Sourdough Crisp Bread)
Crostini are sometimes called crisp bread but they are basically the same thing - a very crunchy "crisp" bread made from stale bread. The great thing is you could also make bagel chips using sourdough bagels using this same technique.
If you've ever wondered what to do with leftover sourdough baguette - the answer is always crostini!
Sourdough Croutons
Sourdough croutons are so easy to make, you'll wonder why you've never done it before! The great thing about homemade croutons is that you can use stale sourdough bread that might otherwise be thrown away.
You can flavor them with any type of herbs and spices you might like and bake them until golden brown and crunchy. They make the perfect topping for soups and salads.
In fact my kids love these so much they just eat them like potato chips for a snack.
Sourdough Breakfast Casserole
A delicious way to use up leftover sourdough bread and sourdough discard! This make ahead sourdough breakfast casserole can be made using a selection of vegetables and your choice of sourdough bread.
Sourdough Bread Pudding
Sourdough makes a hearty and robust bread pudding - in fact it's my favorite way to make this delicious dessert! You'll need brown sugar, milk, vanilla extract and eggs to make a custard before pouring it over leftover portions of sourdough bread. Depending on where you live this can also be called bread and butter pudding.
I love this for an easy dessert, but it also makes a great breakfast the next day!
You can choose to add raisins, chocolate chips, raspberries or just leave it plain. It's delicious no matter how you serve it!
Sourdough Bread Crumbs
It's so easy to make breadcrumbs from old stale sourdough bread. In fact, it's the best kind of bread to make breadcrumbs from!
Have you used panko crumbs before? Sourdough breadcrumbs turn out much like those and give your crumbed meats and veggies a crunchier, crisper coating. Sourdough bread crumbs can also be used along with leftover sourdough starter to make crispy onion rings! Sourdough breadcrumbs are also perfect for adding to meatballs and using to thicken sauces. I love using them on top of sourdough bèchamel sauce for a crunchy top on lasagne and potato bake.
For extra crunchy sourdough breadcrumbs, I recommend toasting the leftover sourdough bread in the oven first, or even making croutons and then crushing them up.
Sourdough Stuffing
Sourdough stuffing is such a delicious way to use up leftover sourdough bread.
You'll need to cube up your leftover sourdough bread and dry it out in the oven. Then you need to pour an egg mixture over the cubes, along with some herbs and spices to create a sourdough stuffing that grandma would be proud of!
I recommend using a large mixing bowl when mixing the egg mixture through the sourdough bread cubes so that they are all coated evenly.
Sourdough Bruschetta
Sourdough bruschetta is a creative way to use up your leftover sourdough bread.
You can choose to make crostini first and then serve your bruschetta mixture over these, or toast your pieces of bread, rub them with garlic and then top with the mixture of tomato, basil and a little olive oil. So good! Sourdough garlic bread is also a lovely base for bruschetta.
I have to say this is one of my favorite ways to use up leftover sourdough bread (especially if it comes with a glass of wine). It's the perfect light dinner on a summer evening when the vegetable garden is producing plenty of sweet basil and tomatoes.
Make An Italian Bread Salad (Panzanella)
There are lots of different recipes for making panzanella or Italian Bread Salad - and the best recipe is the one you and your family love to eat! This salad is particularly good because it uses really old stale sourdough bread and turns it into something absolutely delicious!
The dry bread soaks up all the dressing and it really is the perfect way to repurpose your sourdough.
I love this Jamie Oliver version.
Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
If you've never used sourdough bread to make grilled cheese sandwiches, well you're missing out! The best thing about grilled cheese sandwiches is that you can use leftover sourdough bread that you'd otherwise throw away because it's not fresh enough to eat on it's own.
The toasting process, as well as the oils in the cheese, bring that stale sourdough back to life. You can even use some parmesan cheese or butter on the outside slices to give them a bigger sourdough flavor.
You can see how I make the best sourdough grilled cheese sandwich here.
Sourdough French Toast
French toast is always a good idea, but French toast made with leftover sourdough bread? Well that's the best idea for a perfect Saturday morning breakfast!
French toast in itself is pretty easy - it's just a mixture of egg, milk, sugar and cinnamon if you like. The robust texture of sourdough bread makes it extra special, and even better, creates less food waste.
Refreshing Sourdough Bread
If your leftover sourdough bread isn't too hard and has no mold, you may be able to refresh the bread to give it new life.
One of the easiest ways to refresh sourdough bread is to lightly toast it. This reinvigorates the bread and makes it edible again, almost like when it was fresh out of the oven. Of course, you'll need to make sure you have the best toaster for sourdough bread.
If you have a whole loaf that hasn't been cut into, you can spray the loaf lightly with water and then place it into a hot oven. You can find full instructions for refreshing a loaf of sourdough bread here.
