Feeding the 5000: The Life of a Loaf
7 Ways To Use A Loaf Throughout Its Life
Bread is a product that we expect to buy uber fresh. It’s almost seen as our right as a human being. Gastronomically there is nothing better than walking into a bakery that’s pulling fresh loaves out the oven. Even thinking about it is sending me into a dreamy state, cracking open a fresh croissant or loaf that’s still warm is my idea of heaven. This does however give the baker a problem, with out the aid of a time machine, having to guess how many loaves might be sold each day is not easy. It is not in the interest of the baker to let there bread run out half way through the day so they have to overstock. Even an artisan baker produces an abundance of fresh bread each day. The baker can then sell their loaves at a cheaper price or freeze them, but they will often reject this idea as they don’t want to supply their bread in an inferior state.
The only correct thing for the bakeries to do is donate their surplus to soup kitchens and people that need it most.
Commercially produced sliced bread, stays fresh for a certain amount of days but essentially it deteriorates in quality and then moulds. Sourdough however increases in flavour after a couple of days and then drys out slowly. This is why I think sourdough is the answer! As a sourdough ages it becomes suited to specific dishes depending on its consistency. For instance a really dry sourdough is delicious dissolved into soups. If the bread is dry and at the end of its life after several days it can be made into croutons or migas (a deep fried Spanish crouton served as the main starch to a meal) or finally breadcrumbs.
Here are some examples of what can be done with a loaf throughout its life….
One Loaf 7 Days 7 Recipe ideas
(click on the recipe if it is highlighted)
Day 1 – Bread and butter
Day 2 – Grilled sardines with gremolata and bone marrow toasts
Day 3 – Devilled kidneys on toast
Day 4 – Pigs Liver Bruschetta
Day 5 – Ribollita, a traditional Tuscan soup made with leftovers
Day 6 – Panzanella, Tomato salad with sourdough croutons
Day 7 – Brain food
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Pingback by Fabulous recipes for leftover food | little green change — November 24, 2011 @ 3:08 pm
[...] recipes show that leftover ingredients can make delicious, sophisticated meals. Find out what his seven ways to use a loaf are, make apples and pears that are a bit past their best into a Tarte Tatin, or use up stale bread [...]
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[...] breads. It dries out over time and can be used in various dishes as it ages. Check out my blog Feeding the 5000: The Life of a Loaf for recipes on how to use stale [...]
Pingback by Sourdough Bread, Clay Ovens and Leaven - Blog - Tom's Feast — February 26, 2012 @ 11:12 am
For sourdough, ask unoard and see if any of your friends have a starter living in their fridge or cupboard. This is a mix of flour, water, natural yeast and bacteria that makes sourdough turn sour and rise.You use some of it to make dough, and feed some more flour and water to the remainder and it re-grows. It’s like having a very boring pet you can eat.Some people call it Amish Friendship Bread instead of sourdough. You can also buy a kit to make the starter on the internet.Once you have a nice living starter, you can check the internet for recipes.The basic recipe for sourdough is to use a regular bread recipe but substitute 1 cup starter for 1/2 cup each of the flour and water, and leave out the yeast. Quadruple the rising time, and make sure it has a nice warm place to rise. Mine rises on top of my stereo amplifier.
Comment by Edith — April 22, 2012 @ 1:11 am