If you want to give your stale bread a second life, homemade bread is the MVP. They're tastier and fresher than store-bought versions, all while reducing food waste to begin with. Breadcrumbs can add crunch to pasta dishes, make a wonderful surprise omelet topping and, like croutons, add flavor to salads. But what if you took those loaves a step further and pressed them into a pie crust?
King Arthur Baking Ambassador Martin Philip writes his newsletter, Curio Sassafras, and recently wrote about a lightbulb moment he had while looking at a pile of stale bread (a baker's life hazard). He writes: “Can I turn sourdough into a pie crust? What if I diced and toasted the slices, then ground them in the food processor like I would a graham cracker or saltine crust? Would it taste like toast with butter?”
Photography by Rick Holbrook; Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne
The answer is yes. insert Buttered Toast with Pie Crust. It starts with the standard process for making breadcrumbs: dry the bread cubes in the oven and grind them into a food processor until good. Then, add softened butter, a few spoonfuls of brown sugar, and a generous pinch of salt to transform those plain breadcrumbs into a genius pie crust. It tastes like your morning toast has been lightly dusted with salt and sugar and then transformed into a crispy, crunchy crust.
This pie crust-turned-bread recipe isn't just limited to the crust sour balls or utilitarian sandwich bread, or. daily croissant and stale enriched bread are also fair game. Just remember this: The tastier the bread, the tastier the pie crust. “I like a mix of different breads in one crust—some darker loaves like hard sourdough bread, as opposed to lighter baguettes,” shares Martin.
Photography by Rick Holbrook; Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne
From there, let your imagination run wild. After some cross-testing, our Test Kitchen dreamed up delicious combinations Banana cream pie with one chocolate milk crust AND Vanilla Chess Pieremixed with cinnamon bread crust. Martini used his sourdough crust to make a delicious lemon pie, which he topped with a whipped cream, with a little sour cream for extra body and flavor. (Get his recipe here .) And if delicious pies are more your speed, just reduce the brown sugar in the crust to 1 tablespoon. (And follow the “Tips” at the end of the recipeto make a killer quiche with it.)
Once you've decided on the crust and filling combination, make sure the crust is assembled correctly. “Press the crumbs firmly as you place them in the pan to make a dense, firm crust,” recommends Martin. “My favorite thong is this one cake pan , which has a removable bottom that makes serving easy – especially useful for this more delicate pressed crust. Using the flat bottom of a drinking glass or measuring cup to press down the crumbs ensures an even, compact crust that won't crumble. Once the filling is set, you can lift the cake pan from the bottom to transfer it to a cutting board, leaving you with a beautifully baked rim and easy pie to cut.
Bread goes stale more easily in these hot summer months, which is a real bummer. But once you try this crispy crust, toastedin your next pie or cake, you may find that it can actually be a good thing.
Watch Martin make Pain de Campagne on YouTube. It's great for toast, even better for pie crust!
Cover photo by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne.
