Make Fettunta with Stale Bread

Do you ever wonder what to do with stale bread; besides giving it to the birds or throwing it in the trash?

Since I bake at least once a week, I’m always looking for creative ways to use up stale bread. My favorite way to enjoy bread is to eat it fresh, but artisan breads don’t contain any preservatives so these types of loaves get stale more quickly than store bought loaves (that contain preservatives). This means you have to eat the bread quickly or find other uses for it.

When I was in Tuscany, I learned how to make a simple and delicious garlic bread, called Fettunta. Fettunta is a tasty and aromatic garlic bread, made with stale bread.

Don’t let the simplicity fool you. Those Tuscans know how to do garlic bread.  They use the best ingredients from local and regional sources. So although the bread may be stale, the other ingredients aren’t.

The version I enjoyed in Tuscany was made with local olive oil, garlic and Tuscan bread. Tuscan bread doesn’t usually contain salt so the chef sprinkled a little bit of salt on top of the olive oil to enhance the flavor.

I enjoyed this garlicky, toasty bread so much, it was one of the first dishes I wanted to recreate when I got home.

For my Fettunta, I used slices of Einkorn & Wheat Tartine. I grilled the slices and rubbed them with garlic grown locally in my garden. Then I drizzled Tuscan olive oil over them. The homegrown garlic is so flavorful and aromatic but it doesn’t overpower the grilled whole wheat bread.  It was delicious and crunchy.

This garlic bread makes a very tasty and filling appetizer or snack. It also goes well with pasta, of course.

 

Fettunta

Makes enough for 4 people

• 8 slices of stale (but not moldy) bread
• 1 garlic clove
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Grill or toast the slices of bread; then rub them with garlic. Place them on a plate or serving tray and drizzle them with olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

 

Happy Baking!

Cathy