If you were to ask whether Iprefer my bread fresh, fragrant and oven-warm, or a day or two older, it wouldn't be a pushover for the fresh. I'd rather notgive up either, but it's the more seasoned loaf that offers greater culinary possibilities. There is a sense in which fresh bread, with its damp, tender inner crumb, is somehow not quite finished. It's certainly only the start of the story.
Once I get beyond that first butter-melting slice of sticky-crumbed, just-baked bread, probably most things Iprepare with bread are best made with a loaf that is at least a day old. That's everything from my breakfast toast to croutons for soup (fried until crisp or just cubed and dunked), from a crunchy gratin topping to a juice-soaked summer pudding. All call for bread that has entered dignified middle age.
I hesitate to use the word "stale" – there's no way that's not an insult, is there? – because when I look at a two-day-old loaf, I think of it more as mature and loaded with potential. Of course, for that to be realised, it needs to have been pretty good bread to start with, with awell-browned crust and robust crumb; the kind of loaf from which you can cut a thick slice that stands on its end unsupported. One of the things that's wrong with mass-produced bread is that it does not age well. The insignificant crust and crushable, cotton-woolly interior remain unchanged until the stuff's gone mouldy. Make breadcrumbs with white sliced and you end up with a meaningless dust that vanishes in the mouth like snow.
Good bread, however, rarely disappoints. Countless great recipes make use of it, and every culinary culture has a cache of them, so the ageing loaf is never out of season. Ican't get through summer without knocking up several panzanellas (a Tuscan bread-and-tomato salad) and one or two pappa al pomodoros (a rustic soup made with much the same ingredients), while at this time of year leftover half-loaves are often turned into something sweet, such as acustard-soaked bread-and-butter pudding. French toast is another favourite: aka pain perdu, or plain old eggy bread, this makes a weekly outing in my house in colder months. A slice or two, denuded of crust, soaked in beaten egg (for 20 minutes, ideally), fried in butter until browned, then sprinkled with sugar isa breakfast fit for un roi. I'dtake it over a croissant any day.
And if those classics don't float your boat, yesterday's loaf can always be turned to some new use. Bread is pretty central to leftovers cookery – that spontaneous and undemanding branch of cuisine that often produces delicious meals and serendipitous combinations – and forms the backbone of many a cobbled-together soup, bake, salad or pud, because it is substantial enough to satisfy the appetite, yet mild enough to mix with a thousand other things.
So, even if it's just a meagre heel or crust, don't discard it. A whizz in afood processor will render it into crumbs, which can be frozen and turned into anything from a crisp coating for fishcakes towonderfully savoury bread sauce. In short, use your loaf – even it isn't quite what itwas yesterday.
Banana bread and butter pudding
I love a bread-and-butter pud and never tire of coming up with new variations on the theme. This one isvery good for these dark days of the year, when there's so little fresh,homegrown fruit about. Serves eight.
150g unsalted butter, softened
About 450g two- or three- day-old white bread
3 eggs, plus 1 egg yolk
100g caster sugar (or vanilla sugar)
300ml whole milk
200ml double cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
A few gratings of nutmeg
2 large or 3 small bananas, peeled and sliced
200g milk chocolate, chopped
2 tbsp demerara sugar
Lightly butter a large ovenproof dish. Cut the bread into slices about 1cm thick, cut off and discard the crusts, butter lightly on both sides and cut into squares or triangles. Ina bowl, whisk the eggs, egg yolk and caster sugar until light and foamy, then stir in the milk, cream, vanilla extract and a few gratings ofnutmeg. Line the bottom of the dish with a third of the slices of bread and lay half the bananas and chocolate on top. Repeat, then coverthe second layer of bananas and chocolate with the remaining bread. Pour over the custard mixture and grate a little nutmeg ontop. Cover and chill for at least anhour, to give it time to soak.
Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Uncover the pudding and scatter demerara sugar over the top. Sit the dish in a roasting tin, put it inthe oven and pour boiling water from the kettle into the tin to come halfway up the sides of the dish. Bake for 40-45 minutes, lift the dish out of the tin and leave to stand for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Migas
This delectable dish is often served as part of a spread of tapas. You can also serve it with eggs, or with abundant fresh green leaves as awarm salad. Serves four as a tapa.
250g good, coarse-textured bread, such as sourdough, a day or two old
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
About 75g chorizo, cut into half-moons around 3mm thick
2 rashers bacon, snipped roughly into pieces
A squeeze of lemon juice
Sea salt and freshly ground blackpepper
1 handful flat-leaf parsley leaves
Cut the crust off the bread and discard, then cut the loaf into roughly 2cmsquare cubes. (If the bread's very hard, sprinkle it with water to moisten, cover and leave for an hour.)
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the garlic cloves and fry, turning often, for a few minutes until they start to turn golden. Add the chorizo and bacon, and fry for a few minutes until crisp.
Scoop the chorizo, bacon and garlic out of the pan, leaving most of the fat in it. Add the cubed bread. Stir well to coat it in the tasty fat, then fry for five or so minutes, tossing often, until golden brown. Return the chorizo, bacon and garlic to thepan, and stir in. Season with asqueeze of lemon and salt and pepper if it needs it (the chorizo andbacon will already have made itquite salty). Serve straight away, scattered with parsley if you like.
Meatloaf
The name may be lumpen, the associations workaday and inelegant, but there's a reason this thrifty dish has stood the test of time – it's incredibly tasty. Serves six to eight.
30g butter
2 onions, peeled and finely chopped
1 bay leaf
2 tsp chopped thyme
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery, chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1kg coarsely ground minced beef (not too lean)
300g minced pork
3 eggs, lightly beaten
70g coarse breadcrumbs
200ml tomato ketchup
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
4 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp cayenne pepper
A few gratings of nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment and brush lightly with oil (or make the loaf in a loaf tin, if you prefer). Heat the butter in a frying pan over medium-low heat. Sauté the onions with the bay leaf and thyme for about 15 minutes, until the onions are soft and translucent. Add the carrot and celery, cook for five minutes, then add the garlic and cook for another couple of minutes. Remove from the heat and let the vegetable mixture cool completely. Discard the bay leaf.
In a large bowl, combine the minced beef, minced pork, eggs, breadcrumbs, half the ketchup, the Worcestershire sauce, parsley, cumin, cayenne, nutmeg and the cooled vegetables. Season well and use your hands to mix everything together. Break off a little piece, fry it until cooked through, then taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
Transfer the mixture to the centre of the baking sheet and, with damp hands, form into an oval about 5cm high. Spread the remaining ketchup over the top.
Bake for an hour to an hour and ahalf (the timing will depend on theshape of your loaf), until firm and cooked through. Leave it to sit for about 10 minutes before slicing. The next day, it's delicious sliced and stuffed into a sandwich – with more ketchup!
