With eight ideas to recycle old sandwiches
The Dutch eat an average of 110 grams of bread every day, or three to four sandwiches. Yet bread is in the top-3 of most thrown-away products. Milieu Centraal calculated that no less than one in five slices ends up in the trash. Sin! How do you waste less bread? With eight tips to use stale bread.
The baker (or supermarket) must sell fresh bread the same day. If it is packed more than 24 hours in advance, an expiration date is mandatory. Fresh bread should not contain preservatives.
Store at room temperature
The quality of bread deteriorates quickly, a day after purchase it is already a bit drier. It is edible for five days to a week. You will notice when bread is no longer good, because then it will become stale and mouldy.
Bread dries out extra quickly in the fridge. Therefore, store it at room temperature in a plastic bag and then put it in a clean, sealed container. If you like a crispy crust, store bread in a paper bag.
Freezing
Bread stays good for weeks if you freeze it on the day of purchase. Take the sandwiches you need out of the freezer every day. Let them thaw at room temperature or in the microwave. Roasting is also possible, but that will result in drier slices.
Bread also dries out in the freezer over time. Tender, moist bread will last longer in the freezer.
Why do bake-off rolls stay good for so long?
If you rarely eat bread, you can opt for bake-off bread. Breads that you still have to bake at home have a much longer shelf life than ‘normal’ bread. That’s because bake-off rolls are “packaged under a protective atmosphere”. Fungi in bread need oxygen to grow. In the case of bake-off rolls, the oxygen has been removed from the packaging and replaced by carbon dioxide and nitrogen. That’s not unhealthy. Once you have opened the package, bake-off breads spoil just as quickly as other bread.
Recycle recipes
Old bread that is too dry to use as a regular sandwich can be recycled by making something else out of it. That way you don’t have to waste anything.
1. French toast
Beat an egg with a splash of milk. Add some cinnamon to taste. Roll two slices of bread in this mixture so that the bread absorbs the egg. Fry the bread until golden brown on both sides.
2. toasted sandwich
A sandwich is the classic way to get rid of your stale bread. Top a slice of bread with cheese and possibly a slice of ham or other ingredients. Place another slice of bread on top and heat your sandwich in a sandwich maker or in a non-stick pan.
3. Roasted
Toasting makes bread dry, but also nice and crunchy. Toast pairs well with these healthy vegetable spreads.
4. Quiche
This quiche from the book ‘Tasty cooking with leftovers from Daisy Scholte’ is a very original way to recycle bread.
5. Croutons
Toast bread and cut it into squares to make croutons for your soup or salad.
6. Crostini and bruschetta
Bread that is no longer so fresh is perfect for making crostini and bruschetta, oven-roasted or grilled sandwiches with toppings.
7. Mini pizza
Spread stale bread with tomato puree, add your favorite topping such as cheese, vegetables and herbs. Just pop it in the oven and you have a bread pizza.
8. Breadcrumbs
You can make your own breadcrumbs from old bread. Preheat the oven to 100 degrees Celsius. Place the sandwiches on a rack and bake for 20 minutes, until dry and hard, but not discolouring. Let the slices cool. Then grind them in the food processor into coarse or fine breadcrumbs. If you don’t have a food processor, put the dried sandwiches in a plastic bag and crumble them using a rolling pin. Use the breadcrumbs in meatballs, as a crispy crust on oven dishes or for breading of course.
