We are lucky to live in an area saturated with great places to buy bread. There’s Standard Baking Company, stating the obvious. We have Miccuci’s making their own breads not to mention (yummy) pizza, and if you’re in my neck of the woods over the bridge, Scratch Baking Co. Many choices…I love the bagels at Scratch. But if you’re like me and buy more than you consume, you need ideas for leftovers. Well, I’ve come to rescue you from the depths of Moldy Bread Syndrome (it’s a serious problem, no known cure until now).

A savory option:

Panzanella
1 loaf of day old bread (almost any will do)
2 roasted red peppers, julienned (that’s the lingo for strips)
3 bouquerones (white anchovies), rough chopped
12-15 kalamata olives
½ small red onion, julienned
3 sprigs fresh basil, here’s another term, chiffonade (take the leaves off the stem, stack them and roll them.  Then slice across starting at one end to the other.  The result is beautiful thin strips of basil)
¼-½ pound of greens, like baby romaine or arugula
4 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 Tablespoons EVOO
Salt and pepper to taste

Pre-heat the oven to 375°. Cut the bread into ¼ inch cubes and place in a bowl. Drizzle EVOO over the bread and lightly salt and pepper. Mix with hands and pour onto a baking sheet. Bake in oven until just light golden brown. Pull out and set aside to cool. In a salad bowl, mix together the roasted red peppers, bouquerones, olives, onions, basil, and greens. Add salt and pepper, bread, balsamic, and EVOO. Gently mix with hands until all is coated. Serve immediately.

Serves 4-6.

A sweet option:

Pecan Toffee Bread Pudding

1 loaf day old bread (best options are brioche, challah, pan de mie, croissants; if you use a crusty bread, cut off the outer crust)
1 cup heavy cream
4 eggs
1 Tablespoon vanilla
½ cup honey or maple syrup (I like Strawberry Hill Farms Organic Maple Syrup from Skowhegan)
1½ cups sugar
½ cup water (this is estimation, I’ll explain later)
¼ cup heavy cream
3 Tablespoons butter
1 cup pecans

Pre-heat oven to 375°. Cut bread into ¼ inch cubes and set in a bowl. Set aside. In a small mixing bowl, add heavy cream, honey or maple syrup, and vanilla. Stir until sweetener is dissolved. Add eggs and mix until incorporated. Pour mixture over bread and mix well. Mixture should be pretty wet. Pour into a 9 x 9 baking pan.

In a medium saucepan, put sugar in and add water, just enough to make the mixture feel like wet sand. Place on medium heat. This mixture will boil, allow it to cook for quite a while before stirring. With a whisk, stir and pull the whisk up. When the sugar water turns a golden color and the whisk brings up sugar strands, it is done. It will take about 15-20 minutes to get to this point. Remove from heat. Add pecans and a dash of salt; stir. This part is crucial, the sugar mixture is extremely hot, take care in adding the cream and butter so it doesn’t splatter. Slowly add the cream, slowly add the butter stirring the entire time. Pour this over the bread mixture. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in oven for 25-30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 15 more minutes.

Serves 6-8.

And as always, beverage choices: for the savory Panzanella, a great Montepulciano d’Abruzzi from Italy or Cotes du Rhone from France would pair extremely well. For the bread pudding, Madiera from Portugal or Ice Wine from Canada (Inniskillin makes an incredible sparkling Ice wine, YUM!).

Jen Flock is a Certified Sommelier, Cook, MF&L columnist and blogger, mother, and is always thirsty.