When Plan B is Better
I made a batch of rye bread for a planned visit.
Then the visit was canceled, leaving me with a whole lot of rye bread—and this particular bread goes from fresh to rock-hard remarkably fast.
I could have dutifully eaten my way through it for the next several days.
I didn’t particularly want to.
Instead, I took it in two completely opposite directions.
Make It Even Drier
Some of the rye bread became rye crisps.
I topped thin slices with a simple blend of roasted garlic, za’atar and olive oil, then dried them until crisp and crunchy.
And yes, it’s the same roasted garlic I keep finding uses for.
The result reminds me more of chips or crackers than leftover bread—crunchy, intensely savory and satisfying enough to eat as a snack.
Instead of fighting the bread as it dried out, I simply took it further.
Or Add the Moisture Back
For the rest of the bread, I did exactly the opposite.
Savory bread pudding.
I soaked the dry rye in an egg-and-milk mixture and baked it until the bread became soft and rich.
Same bread. Two completely opposite solutions.
I Had an Idea for the Ibérico
Then I remembered some Ibérico cheese in my freezer.
There’s nothing wrong with the cheese. I just don’t particularly enjoy eating Ibérico by itself.
But its nutty, rich flavor seemed like it would pair well with the warm, earthy caraway in the rye.
It did.
The caraway rye and Ibérico baked together into something deeply savory, with browned edges and a soft, rich center.
I also added textured soy protein chunks, another one of my Healthy Fast Food pantry ingredients.
The soy pieces soaked up the savory egg-and-milk mixture and held onto moisture beautifully as they baked, making the center especially soft and satisfying.
And I was very happy to take the nutritional bonus: soy provides high-quality plant protein. Together with the eggs, milk and cheese, it turned the bread pudding into a surprisingly protein-rich dish.
My first thought: easy lunch.
Add some vegetables on the side and I’m done.
Wait. This Is Breakfast.
It didn’t occur to me until the next morning.
Rye bread. Eggs. Milk. Cheese. Soy.
Why was I thinking only about lunch?
This is breakfast.
Savory, satisfying, already cooked and ready to reheat.
Apparently, the rye bread that was supposed to become sandwiches had found yet another use.
Better Than the Sandwiches
Here’s the funny part.
The rye crisps are crunchy, intensely savory and satisfying when I want something chip-like.
The moist, savory bread pudding gives me an easy breakfast or lunch with almost no work.
I like both of them much more than the sandwiches the bread was originally meant for.