The most common way to use up stale bread in the kitchen is to turn it into breadcrumbs or fry it into croutons. Bread goes stale because the starch inside it re-crystallises; this change makes it harder to chew, but it can easily be turned into a new texture through baking or frying.
How do you make breadcrumbs and croutons?
Sliced stale bread dried in the oven at 150°C for 15 to 20 minutes and then grated gives you homemade breadcrumbs, useful for coating meatballs or schnitzel. Bread cut into cubes, tossed with olive oil and herbs, and baked for around 10 minutes until crisp becomes croutons for salads and soups. In both cases, let the bread cool fully before storing it in an airtight container, or it can absorb moisture and go soft again.
What can you do with recipes that soak the bread?
Stale bread can be soaked in water, milk or egg and reshaped; this is how bread pudding, stuffed bread and some meatball mixes are made. Not letting the bread soak up too much liquid, and squeezing out the excess, keeps the result from falling apart. Small pieces of bread added to soup at the last minute both thicken the soup and give a quick way to use up stale bread.
Can baking bring it back to life?
A whole or large piece of stale bread, sprinkled with a little water and wrapped in foil, then warmed at 180°C for 10 minutes, can crisp back up on the outside while the inside softens briefly. This does not fully restore fresh bread, but it noticeably improves the look and texture if it is going to be served that same meal. Once it cools, the bread hardens again, so this trick only works for bread that will be eaten right away, not for storage.
Can you keep bread from going stale in the first place?
Slicing bread and freezing it largely stops the staling process; slices can be pulled out as needed and toasted or warmed directly in the oven. Bread left at room temperature usually starts going stale within 2 to 3 days; past that point, the most practical option is to use one of the methods above rather than throw it away.