Days - Old Bread

What Do You Do with The Bread?
Often I baked bread and especially if it is a large one, the family could not consume on the same day.  To eat fresh bread is the best, but the leftover or days old bread could be for better use, why is that? We have to make it right to eat by using them for further cooking or to make it for breadcrumb or crouton.  These are happening in my kitchen since I have been baking the sourdough bread.  Technically I keep the bread in the freezer right away in the day the bread is baked, to stay fresh.  However, when I have a few slices left in the bread bin, and the bread becomes stale and hard, it could be handy to make a delicious meal. Here one of the dishes to make the best of days old sourdough bread.

Baked Savoury Ricotta Cheese

Using the Bread for the Base of Open Pies or Slices.


Savoury Ricotta Cheese Slice
A delicious savoury for snacking or lunch.

Slice the bread finely, you need a very sharp bread-knife
(warm the bread in the microwave oven to make slicing easy)
Place and lay them flat and evenly on a baking dish
Heat a cup or more milk until very hot, pour it over to the bread, wait until it soaks very well
The soft bread would cover nicely over the bottom of the dish, drizzle some oil over
Now, you make the topping, which is 500g ricotta cheese, fresh spinach and spring onion
Mix the cheese with three large eggs, oil and salt.  You will have a soft and spreadable mixture.
Put and spread the cheese mixture on top of the bread that you had prepared, level the top
Bake in the prepared hot oven at 175 degrees C, for 35-45 minutes or until golden brown.
When it is warm, slice to serve.

The Preparation and The Baking.

Add fresh herbs on top to serve.  Cut into slices and garnished with a leafy salad.  All fresh food made out of my kitchen but using days old bread.  No Waste.

I suppose you could make this dish with days-old bread from any bread bought from the shop, it does not to be sourdough bread.

To make croutons.
Croutons
3 slices day-old bread, each 1inch stick, torn into 1 1/2-inch chunk
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon herbs de Provence (optional)

To make crouton, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  In a bowl, toss the torn bread with the olive oil and a pinch of salt.  If you are using the herbs, add them too.
Spread the bread evenly on a baking sheet and bake until golden brown and crisp, about 15 minutes.  Midway through the cooking time, redistribute the croutons if they are colouring unevenly.

(based on Tartine Bread by Chad Robertson)

Baking the sourdough bread won't take place for a long time, but using days old bread will be the cooking activities for now.  Stay Tuned.


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Susy