Bread and dairy are commonly wasted items in the home. These recipes help you use both ingredients to make a tasty breakfast or dessert. Feel free to adapt to make different versions, including savory.
Winter Squash Bread Pudding (from the Food Shift Kitchen Guide)
Photo and recipe template by Chef Jen Franco, Food Shift
Ingredients:
- 1 tsp neutral oil
- 4 cups day-old bread, cubed
- 3 cups cubed and roasted winter squash
- 2 cups milk (any type)
- 2 eggs or 3 Tbsp corn starch as a vegan version
- 3 Tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
- Preheat oven to 375ºF. Coat an 8" x 8" baking dish with oil.
- Combine bread and squash and add to the prepared baking dish.
- Lightly beat eggs in a medium bowl. Whisk in milk, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon, if using. (Vegan version: In a small bowl, whisk 1/4 cup cold milk with cornstarch until completely smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk together remaining 1 3/4 cups milk, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. Once combined, stir in cornstarch mixture).
- Pour milk mixture over the bread, toss to combine and let sit for 30 minutes.
- Bake for about 35-45 minutes until golden brown and the liquid has set.
Recipe courtesy of Food Shift, an Alameda-based nonprofit developing practical solutions that reduce food waste, nourish the community, and provide jobs.
Simple Bread Pudding
Feel free to try variations of this recipe by adding cinnamon, raisins, or even those berries you may not get around to finishing.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups milk
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
- ½ cup sugar
- 5 cups of stale bread cut into 2-inch cubes
- 2 eggs, beaten
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Heat milk, butter, vanilla, and sugar in a saucepan over low heat on the stove until butter is melted
- As the mixture is cooling, grease the bottom and sides of a loaf pan and fill with bread cubes
- Add 2 beaten eggs to the cooled milk mixture and pour over the bread
- Bake for 30-45 minutes until the top is golden brown and the liquid has set (don’t let the bread pudding get too dry, it should still wobble a bit)
For a holiday variation of bread pudding, see the Bourbon-Poached Pear Bread Pudding with Cajeta recipe, from Edible East Bay, Winter Holidays 2015.
More tips to make the most of your bread:
