To-Die-For Dessert from 'Dead Bread': How To Upcycle Stale GF Leftovers. (Hello, Honey Pie*!)

Does your gluten free loaf ever last long enough to go stale?

Or do you eat it all the day you bake it? Here at the School, we do a lot of recipe development, and quite a bit of testing on other people's recipes, so we frequently find ourselves with more bread than we can reasonably eat.

Gluten free sourdough lasts longer than yeasted gluten free bread, thanks to the lactic acid in the sourdough culture, which acts as a natural preservative. However, after three or four days, it will still tend to dry out. And it would be tragic to waste it, after all that lovely, long, slow fermentation!

So, I decided to make breadcrumbs, and bag them in the fridge (or the freezer). Just cut the crusts off the loaf and chop it into chunks. Put a handful at a time in your blender and briefly whizz.

Breadcrumbs are a brilliant stand-by for cooks; useful for topping gratins, or coating fish, and even making stuffing. Sourdough breads are great, but yeasted breads work well too, and if you haven't already, you can learn how to make both of them on The Gluten Free Bread Mastery Class.

Breadcrumbs are also the key ingredient for a very old-fashioned favourite, treacle tart. I made mine with honey, which is how it started out in the olden times, but vegans / traditionalists can happily bake it with golden syrup.

Penny's Gluten Free Honey / Treacle Tart

Here's my recipe for the pastry, taken from our latest course, Easy Peasy Gluten Free Baking:

• Red lentil flour 100g 
• Maize flour 50g 
• Cornstarch 50g 
• Cubed butter or vegan block 100g 
• Egg or aquafaba 50g
• Salt 4g 

 And here are the filling ingredients:

• Honey or golden syrup 400g
• Gluten free breadcrumbs (I used sourdough) 200g
• Zest & juice 1 lemon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger

The actual quantity of breadcrumbs will depend on the syrup/honey you choose, and the density of the crumb, but you'll be able to judge for yourself. Aim for a loose, porridge texture.

Method:

To make the pastry, combine the flours with the salt in a medium bowl. Rub in the fat until it looks like ... breadcrumbs :) Add the whole egg or the aquafaba and bring together into a ball of dough. Roll it out and use to line a 20 cm flan dish.

Chill the pastry in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Line with a circle of baking parchment and fill with baking beans (or uncooked rice). Bake at 180 C for 15 minutes. Remove paper and beans, then bake for another 5 minutes. Don't worry if the pastry cracks slightly.

In a small saucepan, gently melt the honey/syrup together with the butter/block, the lemon juice, zest and spices. Stir in your breadcrumbs.

Fill the pastry case with the mixture, smoothing over the top, and decorating with scraps of leftover dough. I used a daisy cutter for mine.

Return to the oven for another 25 minutes. The filling will firm up more as it cools down.

Delicious with a cuppa, and not bad for breakfast either!