Using stale bread

• Production Regulations
• The dried figs recipe competition
• The dried figs of Carmignano
• The extra virgin olive oil
• The Medici wine road of Carmignano
  • Members of the association
• The consortium of the wines of Carmignano
• Recipes at the table
  • Using stale bread

Once bread was bought every morning. When I was little my grandfather Fedoro used to go on his bike to pick up some for everyone, With the bread there was often also a piece of a schiacciata. Today it does not happen every morning. Bread consumption is lower now: a question of diet and greater abundance of other food, of course.
“You do not buy it every morning though as there’s still bread left over from the day before”. Alice Bartalucci, who runs the food shop “La Botteghina” in Comeana, says “and people regret throwing away leftover bread.” It’s almost a taboo, even today. “Some bread Madam? No, thanks. I still have some from yesterday” customers often say. And the same happens at the nearby bakery “Pan Pepato”, where Laura Pepe stands behind the counter.
Hence the idea: give customers some ideas on how to use, in an intelligent and fanciful way, stale bread. It is also a way to educate people on sustainable consumption, in times when there is so much talk about short supply chain, buying groups and rediscovery of roots.
Who knows? Stale bread could even become the main ingredient for a party. Alice proposes. “It would be nice maybe at the fair of Comeana in July.” The two girls give this suggestion to the Pro Loco, the Municipality and all the associations that could participate.
Meanwhile, the Pro Loco has decided to inaugurate a page with some recipes and ideas on how to use stale bread. This is just the beginning. “We liked the idea in fact” The president of the association Niccolò Fanfani says. “It’s an idea that goes well with sustainability and short supply chain. I hope that is also a way to get local retailers more and more involved in our initiatives.”
Those we publish are the first recipes tested by Alice and Laura, but others will follow. They include recipes that go well with the typical flavours of Carmignano, such as an unusual (but endearing) bread cake with dried figs – of Carmignano, of course – and chocolate. (wf)

The recipes suggested by Alice and Laura

PENNE IN SALSA DI MOLLICA (PENNE IN CRUMB SAUCE)
Cut 4 slices of stale bread about one cm thick, remove the crust, mix together some water, 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper and let the slices of bread stand in the mixture until they have absorbed all of it. Put 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a nonstick frying pan when the oil is hot, brown a chopped red onion and 4 crumbled anchovy fillets, then add diced ripe tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste and simmer for 15 minutes on low heat. Break the soaked bread into small pieces and add it to the sauce, stir several times to make it smooth and simmer until the mixture is creamy. Cook the pasta in salted water, drain it when it’s “al dente”, pour it into the pan, add grated cheese to taste, stir and serve.

TORTA DI PANE AL FORMAGGIO (BREAD CHEESE CAKE)
Cut 10 /12 slices of stale bread about one cm thick and remove the crust. Beat 2 eggs, add a pinch of salt and 500 ml of semi-skimmed milk until the mixture is frothy. Arrange half of the bread in a casserole dish and cover with half of the mixture. Take 100g of fontina cheese, 100 g of Emmenthal, 100 g of mozzarella (you can use other cheeses, according to your taste), cut into cubes and arrange them on the wet bread, add the remaining bread and pour over the rest of the mixture. Let it stand for 30 minutes, sprinkle with grated cheese to taste. Bake in a preheated oven for 35 minutes at 200 degrees.

QUADROTTI DI PANE CON FICHI E CIOCCOLATO (CUBES OF BREAD WITH FIGS AND CHOCOLATE)
Cut 8 slices of stale bread about one cm thick and remove the crust.
Line a cake tin with baking  paper which has been soaked in water and squeezed dry. Arrange half of the bread in the pan, sprinkle with dried figs cut into cubes and pieces of dark chocolate and cover with the rest of the bread. Beat 3 eggs with 500 ml of semi-skimmed milk, 150 g of sugar, grated lemon peel and a sachet of vanillin. When the mixture is frothy pour it on the bread a little at a time, letting it absorb completely. Let stand for 15 minutes and bake in a preheated oven for 35 minutes at 200 degrees. When cooked, remove from the oven and leave to cool, remove it from the tin, cut it into cubes, arrange on a plate and sprinkle with powdered sugar and / or bitter cocoa.

TORTINI PEPERONI E RICOTTA (PEPPERS AND RICOTTA CHEESE SAVOURY PIES)
Cut 6-8 slices of bread about a cm thick, remove the crust put them in salt water to soak. Wash and clean 4 peppers, cut into thin strips
and sauté in a non-stick pan with 2 cloves of garlic and 3 tablespoons of olive oil, salt to taste and simmer for 15 minutes. Squeeze the bread, break into small pieces and add to the peppers, stir, then add 200g of ricotta cheese, 50g of grated parmesan cheese and cook for 10 minutes. When the mixture is warm, butter 6-8 small moulds (for muffins) and fill them with the mixture. Bake for 20 minutes in a preheated oven at 200 degrees. When cooked, let cool upside down on a tray, gently remove the cake from the moulds and serve with a sprinkling of chopped parsley.

TORTA ALLA CREMA DI ZABAIONE E CIOCCOLATO (CAKE WITH ZABAGLIONE CREAM AND CHOCOLATE)
Beat 4 egg yolks with 150g of sugar, until the mixture is frothy.. Combine 50g of flour and half a glass of vin santo (or passito if you prefer), pour into a saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring for a few minutes. Let it cool. Whip 500 ml of cream and add to the mixture slowly in order to create a smooth creamy mixture. In another saucepan, bring to boil 250 ml of whipping cream with 50g of sugar. Remove from heat and add 200g of dark chocolate broken in small cubes and 50g of butter, stir slowly letting the chocolate and butter form a very thick zabaglione cream. Crumble with your hands as fine as possible. Spread a layer of zabaglione cream on the baking dish, then a layer of crumbs, cream again, crumbs and finally cover with chocolate cream. Let stand in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours before serving.

Other ideas from the web:
Torta di pane raffermo con pere (Stale bread Cake with pears)
Eighty-four different ways to re-use stale bread From bread crumbs to pudding