Transform your old bread into something fresh with these recipes from Mrs Crunch

IF you find some stale bread that is not fit for fresh sandwiches, don’t throw it out. It is perfect to use in puddings and breakfast dishes that can transform old bread into fancy treats. You can even freeze it when it is stale and then defrost when ready to rustle up these recipes. Bread […]

IF you find some stale bread that is not fit for fresh sandwiches, don’t throw it out.

It is perfect to use in puddings and breakfast dishes that can transform old bread into fancy treats. You can even freeze it when it is stale and then defrost when ready to rustle up these recipes.

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Don’t let your stale bread go to waste — check these recipes for some tasty and delicious treats[/caption]

Bread and butter pudding

Serves 6 – 81p per serving

Preparation time: 15 mins

Cooking time: 40 mins

YOU NEED:

• 100g butter
• 5 slices of stale bread (crusts as well), any type – white or brown
• 40g sultanas or currants
• 40g caster sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 600ml semi-skimmed milk

METHOD: Preheat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Lightly grease a baking dish. Butter one side of every piece of bread, then cut the slices into triangles.

Place half of the bread buttered side up covering the base of the baking dish. Sprinkle sultanas and sugar on to the bread, then place the remaining bread on top, buttered side up.

In a saucepan over a medium heat, warm the milk until nearly boiling. Remove from the heat and combine with the eggs, stirring vigorously.

Pour the mixture over the bread and allow it to soak for ten minutes. Grate nutmeg over the top. Bake in the middle of the oven for 45 minutes until set and lightly browned.

Summer pudding

Costs £5.75, 96p per serving

Preparation time: 20 mins

Chill: 8 hours

YOU NEED:

• 600g mixed berries (raspberries, blueberries, blackberries redcurrants, sliced strawberries)
• 2 ripe peaches or nectarines, stoned  and diced
• 3 tbsp sugar, or to taste
• 150ml cranberry juice
• 8 thin slices white bread or wholemeal bread (about 200g in total), preferably 1-2 days old

METHOD: Crush the different types of fruit individually, making sure all the skins are broken and the fruit is pulpy.

Put all the fruit in a large bowl with the sugar and cranberry juice and stir to mix. Leave to soften for 2 hours. Cut the crusts from the bread and cut the slices into strips or triangles.

Fit the bread into a 1-litre pudding basin to line the bottom and sides, reserving enough bread to cover the top. Fill in any gaps with small bits of bread.

Reserve 3-4 tbsp of juice from the mixed fruit, then gently pour the fruit mixture into the bread-lined pudding basin. Top with the remaining bread.

Cover with a plate that just fits inside the rim of the basin, setting it directly on top of the bread, and then place a heavy weight such as a can of food on top.

Place the basin in the fridge to chill for 8 hours or overnight. To serve, turn the pudding out on to a serving dish. Use the reserved fruit juice to brush or pour over any parts of the bread that have not been coloured.

French toast with berries

Serves 6 — 60p per serving 

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

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TIP: Serve with a dusting of icing sugar, or a drizzle of maple syrup or honey[/caption]

YOU NEED:

• 4 large eggs
• 175ml semi-skimmed milk
• 3 tbsp light brown soft sugar
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 12 slices bread – ideally a couple of days old (or 6 slices if thick bread)
• ½ tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 300g of berries, whichever you like

METHOD: In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs. Add the milk, brown sugar, vanilla and nutmeg, and stir well to combine.

Soak bread slices in the egg mixture until saturated (if you want to be fancy you can cut them into shapes or use a bowl to make circular shaped bread).

Heat a lightly oiled frying pan over a medium-high heat. Brown slices on both sides, sprinkle with cinnamon and serve hot, topped with berries.