Cooking with leftovers-bread

 Bread is something that should never be thrown out for there are so many uses for those bits that others think of as waste. For example; older bread cn be turned into bread crumbs for coating chicken, fish, chops etc or to cover a dish such as pasta bake. Older bread makes fantastic toast and you needn't stop there - Welsh Rarebit (cheese on toast), croutons, melba and gypsy toast can all be made with stale bread that would normally be binned. Here are some of my favourite recipes to help use up those oddments of bread - try them, they really are simple, cheap and tasty!

 Ingredients:

4 Slices of large bread, buttered, with crusts removed and quartered.

4 oz (125g) sultanas

2 tablespoons brown sugar

3 eggs

1 egg yolk

2oz Castor Sugar

1 pint milk

1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon

Recipe:

Preheat the oven to 150C/300F (gas mark 2).

Arrange the bread slices in a greased ovenproof dish, butter side up. Scatter the sultanas, cinnamon and sugar over the bread.

Beat the eggs, egg yolk and caster sugar together. Heat the milk until just on the boil then allow to cool slightly. Stir milk into the the egg mixture and strain over the bread slices. Put the dish into a deep baking half filled with hot water. Put the tin carefully into the oven, ensuring no water gets into your bread mixture and bake for 45 minutes or until set.

To make bread pudding, a moist cake popular in the UK, first soak the bread (unbuttered) in water for about 10 minutes. Squeeze the water out and put wet bread into a greased cake tin. Add sultanas, sugar and cinnamon. Make custard mixture as above and pour over. Place tin in the oven and cook as before - the top will darken. Turn out and leave to cool. Cut into large chunks which can be eaten plain or served as a dessert with cream, ice cream or custard.

 This is also a great recipe for getting rid of those odds and sods of cheese that always lurk around. It is a great simple recipe for entertaining or can be easily adapted for a smaller serving.

Ingredients:

3 slices bread, cut into quarters, fried on both sides.

12 slices of cheese

3 pints of beef stock

Recipe:

Preheat oven to 180C/350F (gas mark 4).

Lay the bread slices on the bottom of an ovenproof soup tureen. Place one slice of cheese on each piece of bread. Bring the stock to the boil and gently pour over the bread and cheese. Place the tureen into the oven and cook for 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted.

 A simple light meal that really puts the zing into cheese on toast.

Ingredients:

1 oz butter

1 teaspoon English mustard

Salt & pepper

1 tablespoon beer (optional)

6 oz Cheddar cheese, grated

4 slices toast, buttered

Recipe:

Mix together the butter, mustard, beer and cheese in a saucepan. Add salt & pepper to taste. Heat gently until the cheese begins to melt. Spread over the toast and brown under the grill for approx 3 minutes.

 This is a great recipe that can be served for breakfast, a snack or an after dinner treat.

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon cinnamon (ground)

4 teaspoons sugar

4 eggs

4 tablespoons milk

6 slices bread cut into triangles

A little oil or butter to fry.

Recipe:

Mix half of the cinnamon with the sugar and set aside.

Beat the remaining cinnamon with the eggs and milk and pour into a shallow dish. dip the bread into the egg mixture.

Gently heat the oil or butter in a large frying pan and cook the eggy bread in four batches over a medium heat for approx 1-2 minutes until each side is gold and crisp. Keep each batch warm as you cook the other slices.

Divide the toast between four plates and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar. For an extra special topping add some tinned apricots or peaches (in juice) and a little fromage frais. Serve immediately.

 Bread is so versatile it should never be consigned to the dustbin. With a little imagination (and often little effort) you can make some really tasty treats, and all for very little cost. But if you feel that the crust ends of the bread are just too much for you to bear please don't forget your birds or ducks in the park ponds who will never say no to a tasty treat!