PAIN PERDU, pronounced Pan perdu, is a traditional French recipe usually made with leftover bread, hence the name “lost bread” indicating it is stale bread that has found new life.
Even in Italy, this bread recycling recipe has always been used to prepare breakfasts or snacks when in our grandmothers’ time there was much more attention to waste and nothing was thrown away.
A simple and super economical dish that transforms leftovers into a delicious preparation and allows us to recycle hard bread creating a tasty and delicious snack.
The process is very simple: the stale bread is sliced and soaked in a milk and egg mixture, then fried in a pan with butter.
In no time, you’ll enjoy irresistible Savory Fried Bread suitable for accompanying cold cuts and cheeses, as a bread substitute, or as a snack for a sudden hunger attack.
PAN PERDU can be made either sweet, by adding a tablespoon of sugar in the pan with butter, or savory, in which case just add a pinch of salt and chopped parsley to the milk and egg mixture.
In today’s version of PAN PERDU, I further enriched the “batter” with a tablespoon of grated Parmesan cheese which, once cooked, makes your Savory Fried Bread slightly crunchy, more flavorful, and cheesy.
A treat to indulge in every once in a while is worth trying!
Below you’ll find other delicious bread recipes and how to make homemade sandwich bread
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Cooking time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4/6
- Cuisine: Italian
- Energy 245.55 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 25.46 (g) of which sugars 1.69 (g)
- Proteins 8.65 (g)
- Fat 11.95 (g) of which saturated 6.30 (g)of which unsaturated 5.03 (g)
- Fibers 1.74 (g)
- Sodium 656.97 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 50 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 10.5 oz bread (stale)
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley
- 2 tbsps grated Parmesan cheese
- to taste salt
- 1 pinch black pepper (optional)
- 3.5 oz butter
Tools
- Bowl
- Pan
Steps
Slice the stale bread not too thickly (about 0.4 inches), then cut it into strips about 0.6 inches wide.
Place the eggs, milk, grated Parmesan cheese, chopped parsley, a pinch of salt, and some pepper (optional) in a bowl.
Beat with a fork until everything is combined.
Dip the bread strips into the egg mixture, drain slightly, then fry them immediately in a pan where you have melted the butter over medium heat.
Cook them on both sides for about 2 minutes until golden, turning continuously.
Drain them and place on a plate covered with paper towels to remove excess fat.
Serve the Savory Fried Pan Perdu immediately, while still hot, sprinkling with additional chopped parsley if desired.
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NOTES
BREAD To make the Pain Perdu recipe, use quite stale bread or it might soak up too much. If you don’t have stale bread but still want to make this recipe, use sandwich bread and quickly dip it in the egg and milk mixture to prevent it from soaking too much.
BUTTER Instead of butter, you can also use vegetable oil. For a lighter preparation, you can bake the Pan Perdu in the oven. Simply place it in a slightly oiled baking dish and bake at 320°F for 10-15 minutes until golden.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
What is a French Toast
They are slices of brioche or sandwich bread soaked in a mixture of eggs and milk and then fried in butter
What is the difference between French Toast and Pain Perdu?
French toast is nothing more than the refined version of pain perdu, developed in the mid-20th century in the United States of America
