We waste A LOT of bread in this country – over 15 tonnes per year, at a cost of over $62m! There’s no knead! 

This recipe is a great use for it and it barely matters how stale it is as it ends up soaking up the cheesy, egg mixture. 

Serves 4-6 

6-8 thick (2cm) slices stale bread 

2-3 tbsps soft butter 

200g ham, bacon or chorizo – diced 

6 eggs 

½ cup cream 

½ cup milk 

1 cup grated cheese 

1 tsp dried mustard 

1 tbsp wholegrain mustard 

1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves 

½ tsp sea salt + decent grind black pepper 

2 tbsps finely chopped parsley 

½ tsp chilli flakes 

1. Preheat oven to 180 C. Grease a large loaf tin.
2. Butter each piece of bread and arrange in the loaf tin or other oven proof dish. Tuck ham, bacon or chorizo between slices.
3. In a bowl whisk eggs, cream, milk, ½ cup grated cheese, mustards and fresh thyme. Add salt and pepper. Pour mixture over bread.
4. Top with remaining grated cheese, parsley and chilli flakes.
5. Stand for 20 minutes to allow bread to soak up the egg mixture.
6. Bake for 20-30 minutes until top is golden and middle is cooked.
7. Serve big warm spoonfuls for breakfast, lunch or dinner!

Note: You could use torn chunks of bread if it’s baguette, sourdough or even croissant. 

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