Our local sourdough bread bakers, Hillside Grain and Hangar Bread, produce delicious loaves that are hard to resist. In the rare case that there are leftovers, day old bread is the base of many hearty and satisfying recipes. According to Julie Johnson of NourishMe, repurposing stale or dry bread may be the most delicious thing you can do.

Julie generously shared a number of recipes featuring day old bread with us for the 2024 Locally Grown Guide – on stands one month from today! While not all her recipes made it into the Guide, they are too good to keep to ourselves. Here is one of Julie’s recipes for French Toast Casserole.

Instructions

• Cut the bread into cubes or tear into small pieces and place in a grease 9 x 13 inch baking pan
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon. Pour the mixture over bread in the pan
•  Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight
•  In a small bowl combine brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon
• Cut the butter into small pieces and add to the flour mixture. With a fork blend butter into mixture until it resembles small crumbs
• Sprinkle over bread in the pan
•  Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes
• Uncover and bake for another 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. To check, shake the casserole. If it wiggles a lot it’s not done. Continue to bake until it is cooked through completely.

Notes: Use dried bread. Fresh bread will result in a soft and gummy cassarole.

NourishMe is a unique health food store/deli. Julie is a nutritionist who believes in whole food supplements and a whole foods diet. NourishMe sources foods from local farms and ranches. They sell raw milk, pasture-raised meats, wild-caught Alaska fish, local eggs, and greens from countless greenhouses and small farms in southern Idaho. NourishMe serves slow-cooked soups daily along with our salads and grilled sandwiches. Store hours 9:00-6:00 Monday through Friday, Saturday 10:00-5:00 and Sunday 11:00-4:00. The grill is open between 11:00-3:30 daily.