Bread accounts for 1.4 million tons of household waste each year (that’s the caloric equivalent of 3.1 billion meals). Unlike grocery store loaves that are packed with extra ingredients to keep them soft and supple for weeks, homemade and bakery breads like baguettes, boules, and country loaves contain little more than flour, salt, water, and yeast (or sourdough starter, if you hopped on that pandemic bandwagon).
These carbs beckon us with their rustic charm, toothy crust, and ability to make superior toast. Sadly, they also die young. But scrappy cooks have used stale loaves for ages as a means to bulk up soups and stews or fill out desserts and even sauces.
Our favorite has roots in Italy, but this time the end result is a whole cozy meal you can adapt for the seasons. Ribollita is a traditional Tuscan soup made with vegetables and beans and thickened with stale bread. The word ribollita translates to “reboiled,” as this soup was traditionally made by doing just that with leftover beans and greens. The addition of bread helps make it more satisfying. It’s perfect when the weather calls for something warm and brothy, but you need something a bit heartier.
If you’re not ready to pull out the soup pot just yet, read on after the recipe for tips on extending the life of your loaf.
Winter Squash Ribollita
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced
- 1 medium fennel bulb, finely chopped
- 2 large carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 2 ½ cups cubed butternut squash (½ medium squash)
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped herbs (like thyme, sage, or rosemary)
- 1 large bunch (about 10 ounces) Tuscan kale, leaves stripped off stalks and roughly chopped
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 Parmesan rind (optional)
- 2 cups cooked or canned cannellini beans
- 5 cups (about 10 ounces) stale crusty bread, torn into chunks
Procedure:
- In a Dutch oven or large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the onion, fennel, carrot, celery, squash, red pepper flakes, salt, and herbs and sauté until softened, about 10 minutes.
- Add kale, broth, tomatoes, and Parmesan rind, if using, adding more stock or water if needed to cover the vegetables. Simmer until the veggies are very tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in beans and bread, and simmer until bread is breaking down, 10 to 15 minutes. If the soup looks too thick, add water ½ cup at a time to thin out.
- Remove Parmesan rind before serving. Season to taste.
Notes and Substitutions:
- If you’re a no-cheese house but want to include the rind, you can buy loose ones at Whole Foods and some specialty grocers. Parmesan rinds add richness, body, and unmistakable flavor to soups and stews. The longer they simmer, the more they soften and have time to work their umami magic.
Extending the life of your loaf
There’s no getting around the fact that fresh bread is best enjoyed the day it’s baked. Stale loaves are inevitable, but there are some smart storage options that can extend that window of deliciousness from a couple of days to a couple of months. No matter which route you take, never, ever stick it in the fridge. Staling happens as bread cools and dries out, causing the starches inside the loaf to crystalize, ultimately resulting in unpalatable, hard bread. When fresh bread sits in cold (but not freezing) temperatures like the ones in the fridge, this process accelerates. We suggest one of the following methods instead.
1-5 days: The bread bag
Plastic bags don’t breathe well, which can accelerate mold, and paper bags let in too much air, which means rock hard loaves by day three. Linen or cotton bread bags are not only cute and sustainable (this is the one we use), but they also allow the just-right level of breathability. Drawstring enclosures allow for some airflow, but not so much that bread dries too quickly. After all, there’s a reason the French have used this technique for ages.
5-7 days: The breadbox
Breadboxes work by eliminating light exposure, which leads to mold, and creating an extra layer of defense against excess humidity and airflow. This balanced environment keeps loaves soft on the inside and crusty on the outside. We find that bread stored in a breadbox (eBay is full of vintage ones) lasts for about five days and up to a week. Store cut loaves with the crumb sides facing each other, and slice as you go to prevent slices from drying out.
2-3 months: The freezer
Sliced bread is a godsend in the freezer. The chiller eliminates the possibility of mold, and slices are easy to pull out and pop in the toaster or oven. You can put whole loaves in cold storage, too. To thaw a whole loaf, stick it in the oven at 325 degrees for about 25 minutes—or until it’s no longer frozen in the middle.
