What to use instead of bread
It depends entirely on what it's doing in the dish. Here's the job, what else does it, and what to skip.
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Starch that soaks up custard and holds its shape
Stale bread has dried cell walls that pull in liquid and stay intact, which is why a bread pudding has distinct pieces instead of being a single wet mass.
Brioche or challah, dried out firstRan out
1:1 by weight, dried in a 300F oven for 10 min, and halve the soaking time
Richer and sweeter, browns much faster, and it drinks custard in about half the time.
Day-old croissantsRan out
1:1 by weight
Buttery and layered, with a crisp shattery top. The pudding is greasier and needs less butter in the dish.
Leftover cinnamon rolls or panettoneRan out
1:1 by weight, and cut the sugar in the custard by a third
Much sweeter with spice and dried fruit already built in. Without the sugar cut it is sickly.
Gluten-free sandwich loaf, dried hardGluten-free
1:1 by weight, soaked 30 min instead of 15
Takes liquid slowly then turns to paste if you push it. The set is denser and wetter throughout.
What doesn't work: Fresh soft supermarket white. There is no dry structure left in it, so it dissolves into the custard and the pudding bakes as a uniform wet paste with no pieces.
Panade that keeps meatballs and meatloaf tender
Bread soaked in milk traps water in a starch gel that stays put while the meat proteins tighten, which is why the meatball does not squeeze itself dry.
Dried breadcrumbs + milkRan out
1/2 cup crumbs + 1/2 cup milk per 2 slices of bread
Tighter and slightly denser meatball. Let it sit 5 min so the crumbs actually hydrate.
Panko + milkRan out
1 cup panko + 1/2 cup milk per 2 slices
Lighter and springier. Panko drinks more liquid than it looks like it will, so let it stand.
Rolled oats or cooked riceGluten-free
1/3 cup rolled oats or 1/2 cup cooked rice per 2 slices
Oats read faintly sweet and go gluey if you overmix. Rice stays as visible grains in the slice.
Crushed crackers + milkRan out
3/4 cup crushed crackers + 1/2 cup milk per 2 slices, and cut the salt in the mix
Browns darker and tastes saltier. Skipping the salt adjustment makes the loaf inedible.
What doesn't work: Flour stirred straight into the mince. It binds, but with no soaked crumb holding water the meat contracts and squeezes itself dry, giving a firm bouncy loaf.
Body in a blended cold soup or dip
Soaked crumb blends into an emulsion that carries olive oil, which is how salmorejo gets creamy without a drop of cream.
Stale sourdough or baguette, crusts removedRan out
1:1 by weight
Sourdough brings a tang that shows up clearly in a tomato soup. Take the crusts off or the colour goes grey.
Dried breadcrumbsRan out
1/2 cup crumbs per 2 oz of bread, soaked 10 min
Blends smoother and faster with noticeably less body. Add a little more to compensate.
Ground walnutsGluten-free
1/2 cup ground walnuts per 1/2 cup crumbs
Much richer and oilier, and the dip goes darker. This is the muhammara direction anyway.
Cooked white riceGluten-free
1/2 cup cooked rice per 2 oz bread
Blends thick and glossy. Run the blender too long and it turns gummy and will not come back.
What doesn't work: A cornstarch slurry to thicken a cold soup. Raw it tastes chalky and cooked it sets to a gel, and neither one gives the emulsified bready body the dish is built on.