Save Stale Bread To Whip Up Pizza Dough In A Pinch

The next time you have any stale bread lying around, don't throw it out — you can turn it into pizza dough in a pinch. The process is actually quite simple. All you need is water to transform the bread into pizza dough.

Cut up the stale bread (about the amount of three sandwich rolls, or 200 grams) into smaller pieces, then place in a mixing bowl. Add ¾ cup of water and let soak for 15 minutes. Afterward, tear the wet bread into very small pieces or use a food processor. This is all you need for a pizza crust, but you can upgrade the consistency and flavor by adding one egg, which will help the dough stick together, and a ½ cup of parmesan. Mix up the bread, egg, and parmesan thoroughly, then transfer to a pan — a springform pan or a pie pan are two of the best options for this. From there, add the sauce, cheese, and your favorite toppings. Finally, bake for 25 minutes at about 390 degrees Fahrenheit. The resulting pizza will be a thin crust, so keep that in mind if you prefer a thicker crust. Otherwise, the pizza will be quite similar to one that was made with regular pizza dough.

Since you didn't put in the effort to make from-scratch homemade pizza dough — or even spend money on pre-made dough — then you may as well have fun and experiment with the makeshift dough rather than sticking to more straightforward pizza recipes. For example, you can take inspiration from Tasting Table's list of unique pizzas to try at least once, such as a mac and cheese-topped pizza or a smoked salmon pizza. Or, you can take a break from savory pizza toppings and experiment with the best sweet pizza toppings, such as peaches, candied nuts, or a drizzle of maple syrup. You can even go all out and create the ultimate sweet, dessert-like pizza — perhaps cream cheese or Nutella as the base, topped with your favorite fruit, and finished with a drizzle of honey (or hot honey, if you want a kick of heat to go with the sweetness).

You can also take the opportunity to top the pizza with whatever leftover food you have in the fridge that needs to be used up. Maybe you had pulled pork sandwiches the night before and need to use up the leftover meat, or maybe you have an assortment of veggies that are about to go bad. Between leftovers as toppings and the stale bread crust, this pizza can act as the perfect way to avoid food waste.