11 Best Things To Do With Leftover Sourdough Bread

If you’re wondering what to do with leftover sourdough bread, then you’ve come to the right place!  In this article I’ll share with you all of my favorite ways to use stale, or otherwise leftover sourdough bread!

1. Sourdough Croutons

Making sourdough croutons is one of the simplest ways to use leftover sourdough bread. Here’s how to make them:

• Simply cube your leftover bread into crouton size pieces, brush with a little olive oil, and sprinkle with sea salt and your favorite herbs.  I love to add a little garlic powder and dried rosemary to mine, but you can use any herb mix.
• Next you pop them into a 400 F oven for 10 minutes until they begin to toast.  Flip your bread pieces over and bake again for 10 minutes or until golden brown.  
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.  These can be stored in an air-tight container for up to 1 week.

It’s that simple!  *Bonus Tip* You can use any type of bread to make homemade croutons with this recipe!

2. Sourdough French Toast

If your sourdough has gotten a little stale, try making sourdough French toast!  You can use slices of a sourdough artisan loaf or sourdough sandwich bread.  For an extra special treat, try making this with my Sourdough Banana Bread!  You’ll need to cut your banana bread a little thicker than you would a regular piece of bread, but it’s soooo yummy!  Here’s how to make it:

Ingredients: 

• Slices of sourdough bread approximately 1/2 inch thick
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 2 Tbs. sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• butter or cooking oil of choice

Method: 

1. Pre-heat a skillet over medium heat on your stovetop.  Once heated, add 1 Tbs of butter or cooking oil. 
2. While the skillet is heating, combine eggs, vanilla, milk, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl until completely combined.  
3. Transfer egg mixture to a plate or flat dish.
4. Place slices of bread into the egg mixture for approximately 10 seconds on each side.  You should see the bread soaking up the egg mixture.
5. Place your slices of bread into your skillet and cook until the bottoms are golden brown (approximately 3-4 minutes)
6. Flip and cook the second side (approximately 2-3 minutes)
7. Serve with maple syrup, mini chocolate chips, fresh fruit, or powdered sugar.

*Pro Tip* Feeding a crowd? Turn your oven on as low as it will go (for most ovens, this will be 175 F).  If you have a warming function on your oven, even better!  Place a baking sheet into your oven, and transfer the cooked French toast slices to the baking sheet to keep warm as you cook up the next batch.  This way, all of your guests can eat at the same time!

3. Sourdough Bread Pudding

Who doesn’t love a bread pudding?  It’s a southern favorite, and in my opinion the best way to use up leftover or stale bread.  I’ll let you in on a little secret… sometimes I make up a whole loaf of bread just so I can make a homemade sourdough bread pudding!  It’s that good!

In my opinion, this is the best bread pudding recipe out there.  I substitute the cubed bread for sourdough bread cubes.  

4. Sourdough Panzanella (Italian Bread Salad)

Panzanella salad is such an amazing way to use up stale bread.  Making panzanella is a great way to use your leftover sourdough bread!  It’s so easy too!

• Slice your bread into 1 inch cubes and place them under the broiler until toasted, turn and continue toasting until golden brown
• Slice tomatoes and fresh mozzarella into bite sized pieces.  Thinly slice a red onion.
• Toss together bread, mozzarella, tomatoes and onion in a large bowl.  
• Make a vinaigrette – I like to do 1 Tbs dijon, 1 Tbs honey, 1/2 cup olive oil, and 1/4 cup balsalmic vinegar.  
• Toss your salad with the vinaigrette and add freshly sliced basil.  Salt to taste.    *Chef’s kiss*

Try my Peach Panzanella (pictured above) for a twist on this classic bread salad!

5. French Onion Soup with Sourdough Crostini

French onion soup is a comfort dish through and through.  Here is a recipe for an amazing French onion soup.  We like to top ours with sourdough crostini.  To make crostini, all you need to do is slice your sourdough bread (ideally baguette) thinly and place on a baking sheet under the broiler for about 2 minutes until golden brown.  Flip your bread slices over and toast the second side.  Sprinkle with salt if you want to go all out! 

6. Sourdough Bruschetta 

In our home, we fondly refer to bruschetta as “Italian salsa” because that’s essentially what it is!  We like to make sourdough crostini (see #5) and top with bruschetta.  To make bruschetta you need to dice tomatoes, fresh basil, and garlic, then toss them in olive oil and a little salt.   

7. Sourdough Breakfast Strata

Every Christmas for decades my parents have made a breakfast strata (known in our house as egg casserole).  The best thing about a breakfast strata is that you can do all of the work in advance and bake your breakfast the next morning.  Perfect for meal prep or busy mornings (like Christmas)!  

To make a strata you will slice your bread into 1 inch cubes.  Place those pieces of bread into a casserole dish.  Add cooked meat of choice – breakfast sausage, bacon, whatever your heart desires.  You can also add fresh herbs and veggies like tomatoes, asparagus, or mushrooms.  It’s best to cook them first as well and remove any excess moisture.  Scramble ~8 eggs (depending on the size of your pan), add some milk or heavy cream, salt and pepper.  Pour the egg mixture over your bread and extras, then top with cheese.  Cover your pan with aluminium foil, then place into the refrigerator overnight.  The next morning, bake at 350 until set.   

8. Sourdough Breadcrumbs

Sourdough breadcrumbs are probably the most common use for leftover slices of sourdough bread.  To make this go more quickly, a quick tip I have is to slice your bread as thinly as possible before laying it out to get stale.  

Here’s my method:

• Slice sourdough bread into thin slices.
• Lay out on a baking rack or paper towel overnight 
• The next day when the bread is all dried out, I pop it into my food processor.

And there you have it!  Homemade bread crumbs.  You can add dried herbs to your liking if you want to season the bread crumbs, or just leave them as is.  These bread crumbs will store in an airtight container for about a week.  Some of my favorite ways to use these breadcrumbs are in meatballs or meatloaf, or to top casseroles.  

9. Sourdough Meatloaf

Meatloaf is one of those dishes that’s in my family’s weekly meal rotation.  It’s also the perfect way to use up some old stale sourdough bread! I’ve used the Pioneer Woman’s “My Favorite Meatloaf” recipe as an inspiration for this recipe.

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup whole milk
• 6 slices of Sourdough Sandwich Bread (approximately 1/4 Artisan Sourdough Bread Loaf sliced or cubed)
• 2 pounds of ground beef
• 4 eggs beaten
• 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp dried parsley
• 10 slices of bacon
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup mustard

Method: 

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Pour milk over the bread slices. Allow it to soak in for several minutes.
2. Place the ground beef, milk-soaked bread, cheddar cheese, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and dried parsley in a large mixing bowl. Pour in beaten eggs.
3. With clean hands, mix the ingredients until well combined. Form the mixture into a loaf shape on a broiler pan, which will allow the fat to drain. (Line the bottom of the pan with aluminum foil to avoid a big mess!) 
4. Lay bacon slices over the top, tucking them underneath the meatloaf. 
5. Make the sauce: Add ketchup, brown sugar, and mustard to a mixing bowl. Stir together. Pour 1/3 of the mixture over the top of the bacon. Spread with a spoon. 
6. Bake for 45 minutes, then pour another 1/3 of the sauce over the top. Bake for another 15 minutes. Slice and serve with remaining sauce.

10. Toasted Sandwiches 

You really can’t go wrong with a grilled cheese or croque monsieur sandwich.  We love to make “fancy” grilled cheese sandwiches in our home.  By fancy, I mean we do more than bread and cheese!

Here are some of our favorite recipes: 

• Havarti cheese, fresh basil, and blueberry balsamic compote
• Goat’s cheese, fig jam, caramelized onion, and rosemary 
• Jack cheese, blue cheese, buffalo chicken

11. Stuffing

It’s always a good idea to make stuffing in my world.  I’m a sucker for the savory blend of bread, plus fresh herbs and spices.  It’s also an easy way to use up some of that old sourdough bread!  Here is an easy recipe from Spend with Pennies,  and of course, I substitute out the bread here for sourdough.  

So there you have it – what to do with leftover sourdough bread (in my opinion).  What about you?  Leave me a comment below and let me know what I missed!