Nice and soft on the inside and wonderfully crispy on the outside - fresh baguette from the bakery tastes irresistibly delicious. But what should you do if it turns rock hard the next day? How could you use an old baguette or make it soft again?
Have you noticed that fresh baguettes become completely hard and inedible after what feels like 2 hours? Stale bread isn't particularly appetizing and we're ashamed to say we've thrown it away several times. Of course you could freeze it, but wouldn't it be better if you used an old baguette instead and made something delicious with it?
Anyone who has ever frozen an old baguette and then defrosted it knows how bland it tastes. Luckily, there are lots of great ones out thereRecipes and ideasHow you could use an old baguette and avoid food waste.
Italian panzanella salad with peaches and tomatoes
Juicy peaches, aromatic tomatoes and crispy bread cubes – this panzanella salad tastes like summer and is one of the tastiest ways to use up an old baguette.
Ingredients for 4 servings:
- 500 grams of tomatoes
- 1 peach, thinly sliced
- 1 altes Baguette
- 120 grams of mozzarella or baby mozzarella
- Half a bunch of fresh basil
- 1 TL Meraalz
Dressing:
- 40 ml olive oil
- 10 grams of Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
Preparation:
- Cut the tomatoes into large cubes and sprinkle with the sea salt in a bowl. Let it steep for 10 minutes.
- Heat some olive oil in a pan over medium heat.
- Cut the baguette into small cubes and fry in the pan, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and crispy.
- Mix bread cubes, mozzarella and basil in a large salad bowl.
- Add the tomato pieces and collect the tomato juice.
- Whisk tomato juice with the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and drizzle over the salad.
- And your panzanella salad with peaches and tomatoes is ready.
Make your own breadcrumbs
Whether with meat, oven-baked vegetables or fish – homemade breadcrumbs are the secret weapon of every good cook. It's really easy to prepare and they taste much better than the ready-made stuff from the supermarket. All you need is an old baguette. And you can make your own breadcrumbs so quickly.
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and line a large baking tray with baking paper.
- Cut the baguette into cubes and process into fine crumbs in the blender.
- Spread bread crumbs on the baking tray and bake for 5 minutes.
- Stir once and bake for another 5 minutes.
- Pour into an airtight jar and store either in the refrigerator or in a dark, cool place.
Juicy meatballs with stale baguette
Stale baguette is the secret ingredient for these super juicy meatballs! Serve them as a burger, pasta or with a tomato sauce and you have the perfect dinner. And the best part? One piece of it has just 70 calories!
Ingredients for about 26 pieces:
- 300 Gramm altes Baguette
- 100 ml milk
- 500 grams of ground beef
- 45 grams of Parmesan, grated
- 1 No
- 1 medium onion, chopped finely
- 2 cloves of garlic
- Some fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
- Cut the baguette into rough pieces and pour the milk over it in a medium-sized bowl. Let it steep for 10 minutes.
- Mash the baguette and milk with a fork to make a paste.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix well with your hands.
- Heat a little olive oil in a pan over medium heat and fry the meatballs, turning occasionally, until golden brown.
- Alternatively, you can bake the meatballs in the oven at 200 degrees for 20-25 minutes or in the air fryer for 7-8 minutes.
Minced meat and vegetable casserole
And here's a great idea on how you can use old baguette and use it to make a cheap and delicious dinner. The recipe for this sausage and vegetable casserole is super variable and you can use different types of vegetables depending on the season and your preferences.
Ingredients for 8-10 servings:
- Half a baguette, cut into rough pieces
- 500 grams of minced meat
- 6 Owner
- 300 ml milk
- 100 ml Sahne
- 100 grams of Parmesan, grated
- 150 Grams Mozzarella
- 2 red peppers, sliced
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- Fresh oregano
- Salt and pepper
Preparation:
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and grease a baking dish with butter.
- Heat some olive oil in a pan over medium heat and fry the minced meat and peppers for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Whisk together eggs, milk, cream, parmesan and oregano in a bowl.
- Place half of the bread pieces in the baking dish and pour half of the egg mixture over them.
- Spread half of the minced meat mixture on top and repeat.
- Sprinkle with mozzarella and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
Italian bread soup recipe
Hearty, full of flavor and filling, this Italian bread soup (Pappa al Pomodoro) is a popular Tuscan dish and perfect for a light summer lunch or dinner.
Ingredients for 4-6 servings:
- 1 medium onion, chopped finely
- 750 grams of tomato sauce
- 1 liter vegetable broth
- 5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 Lorbeerblatt
- 5-6 slices of old baguette, diced
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 fresh parsley, roughly chopped
- Salt and pepper
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil
Preparation:
- Heat some olive oil in a large pot over medium heat and sauté onions for 5-6 minutes.
- Add the garlic cloves and fry for 1-2 minutes.
- Add tomato sauce, vegetable broth and bay leaf to the pot and stir well.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 25 minutes.
- Meanwhile, brush baguette with olive oil and fry in a pan, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and crispy.
- Turn off the stove and add bread cubes to the pot.
- Sprinkle with red pepper flakes and parsley and enjoy warm.
- And your Italian bread soup is ready!
Make classic bread dumplings yourself
Whether with goulash or with lots of cream sauce - bread dumplings always work and are an excellent option for using up an old baguette.
Ingredients for 4-5 servings:
- 350 Gramm altes Baguette
- 150 ml milk
- 2 Owner
- 1 medium onion, diced small
- 20 Gramm Butter
- 50 grams fresh parsley, finely chopped
- Some breadcrumbs (you already have the recipe)
- Salt and pepper
Preparation:
- Cut the baguette into small cubes and mix in a bowl with a little salt.
- Melt butter in a pan over medium heat and sauté onions and parsley for 4-5 minutes.
- Heat milk in the microwave.
- Add the onion mixture and milk to the bread cubes, mix well and let sit for about 10 minutes.
- Whisk eggs and add to mixture.
- Add some breadcrumbs, season with salt and pepper and mix.
- Form about 8-10 dumplings with wet hands.
- Bring water to the boil in a large pot and add dumplings.
- Cook for about 20 minutes and voila - it's that easy to make classic bread dumplings yourself.
Juicy bread pudding with walnuts
Bread pudding is a classic dessert that can be made with old baguette and tastes irresistibly delicious!
Ingredients for 8-10 servings:
- 1/2 old baguette, roughly diced
- 5 Owner
- 780 ml milk
- 200 grams of sugar
- 100 grams of brown sugar
- 180 grams walnuts, roughly chopped
- 110 Gramm Butter
- 1 TL Vanilleextrakt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Preparation:
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and lightly grease a large baking dish with butter.
- Place eggs in a large bowl and beat lightly with a whisk.
- Add milk, granulated sugar and vanilla extract and stir until smooth.
- Place bread cubes in the baking dish and pour egg mixture over them.
- Melt butter in the microwave.
- Add brown sugar, walnuts and cinnamon to the melted butter and stir until smooth.
- Pour the butter mixture into the baking dish and mix everything very lightly.
- Bake the bread pudding for about 45-50 minutes and let it cool completely.
- Enjoy!
French toast casserole with berries
Whether deliciousCherries recipes, raspberries or strawberries – summertime is berry time and this French toast casserole is ideal for a relaxed Sunday breakfast or for the next brunch in the garden.
Ingredients for 6-8 servings:
- 6 Owner
- 350 ml milk
- 1/2 baguette, roughly diced
- 400 grams of berries of your choice (you could also use frozen berries)
- 20 grams butter, cold
- 70 grams of sugar
- 1 TL Vanilleextrakt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- A pinch of salt
Preparation:
- Whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla and cinnamon in a large bowl.
- Place bread cubes in a large baking dish and pour egg mixture over them.
- Let it sit in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
- Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake the bread cubes for 30 minutes.
- Whisk butter and sugar together in a bowl.
- Sprinkle bread cubes with berries and butter mixture and bake for another 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
- Drizzle with maple syrup or honey and your juicy French toast casserole with stale baguette is ready.
Can you make old baguette fresh again?
None of the recipes above really appealed to you and you're wondering if you can make an old baguette fresh again? Luckily, there is a very simple trick that can make the old baguette wonderfully crispy again. To do this, preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Brush the baguette lightly with a little water and wrap it tightly in aluminum foil. Then bake for about 5-8 minutes and you're done - that's how quickly you can make an old baguette fresh again!
