Sourdough Toppers
Nov. 3 | 10 minute read
Do you ever look at a loaf of bread and your brain runs dry with what to do with it?
Well, I’m writing this blog to hopefully spark some ideas for you. There are 3 variations we’ll go through and I’ll close with some ways to save stale bread. First, dips: these will range from your classic appetizers to gourmet, yet effortless dips that’ll rival your main dish. Then we’ll go through what I call “toppers”, you can just think of these as toast options. Lastly, we’ll cover sandwiches. I will link to the original recipes when available.
DIPS
Olive and Herb Dip
Feeling lazy but still want to impress? This quick, yet gourmet dip is perfect for any occasion! Measure with your heart: combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon zest, handful of chopped parsley, handful of chopped kalamata olives, one clove freshly minced garlic, and season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Mix and serve with fresh bread!
Lemon Basil and Burrata Dip
It can’t get easier than this lemon burrata dip. To make the dip: combine olive oil, sliced basil, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a small bowl. Pour lemon basil infused olive oil over burrata cheese that’s cut and in a shallow bowl. Serve with sliced sourdough.
Here’s the link to the recipe!
Baked Mozzarella and Balsamic Dip
This dip is perfect for a warm day, packed with all the fresh delights of summer. Start with slices of bread, cut in half if they’re longer than 3-4 inches. Place in a pinwheel shape in a 9-inch cake pan. Drizzle with olive oil, top with diced tomatoes and onion. Place a mozzarella ball in the middle and bake at 350F for 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Remove from the oven, drizzle with balsamic and top with fresh basil.
Garlic and Cheese Dip
To make this ooey gooey, stringy cheesy dip all you need are the following:
Cream cheese
Sour cream
Mozzarella
Garlic
Cheese blend (Romano, Pecorino, Asiago)
Fresh parsley
Toasted bread rounds
For details on the full recipe, click here.
TOPPERS
Hummus, Asparagus, and Pomegranate Seed Toast
A toast with all the fixin’s! There’s no better way to start your day than by hitting every food group: chickpeas, asparagus, hummus, eggs, and so much more.
Roast veggies: place asparagus and rinsed chickpeas on two separate pans. Drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Roast the asparagus for 15 minutes and the chickpeas for 25 minutes at 375F.
Poach the egg: crack the egg in a cup. Then boil a medium pot filled with water. Once boiling, use a wooden spoon to make a tornado in the water. Once spinning rapidly, drop the egg into the water and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove with a slated spoon.
Assemble: spread the hummus, top with asparagus, and chickpeas. Place the egg and pomegranate seeds on top and enjoy!
Caramelized Banana Tahini and Honey Toast
This toast is made up of exactly how it’s named: caramelized bananas, tahini, and honey! It couldn’t get easier. Simply caramelize the bananas by slicing and rolling in brown sugar. Then place on a stove top with a tablespoon or two of butter. Grill on one side until browned, flip and do the same to the other. Spread the sourdough with tahini, top with the warm bananas, and drizzle with honey.
Mushroom Pesto and whipped Ricotta Toast
Bare with me, this recipe is a little bit more involved. But I promise, every step of the way is worth it. Start with the following ingredients:
Sourdough slices, grilled
1/4 lb cremini mushrooms, sliced
4 tbsp butter
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2-3 tsp pine nuts
7-8 cloves of garlic, roasted
2 tbsp parmesan
2 sprigs basil
small handful of parsley
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup ricotta, whisked until fluffy
Optional toppings: truffle honey, truffle salt, and thyme
Preheat the oven to 400F. Place garlic, a drizzle of oil and salt in a clump of foil and roast on a baking tray for 30-40 minutes. Meanwhile, heat an oiled skillet on medium-high and add the mushrooms. Sauté until golden, then lower the heat and add the pine nuts until lightly browned. Blend together the mushrooms, pine nuts, basil, parsley, roasted garlic, butter, parmesan, olive oil, salt and pepper until a pesto-like consistency. Spread on grilled sourdough and pipe on the whisked ricotta, then add desired toppings.
Instead of making the pesto, you can opt for a quicker result by just piping the ricotta, topping with sliced, grilled mushrooms, fresh herbs, and drizzle with honey like I did above!
Cinnamon Apple Yogurt Toast
This ones perfect for the fall with freshly picked apples. All you need is: sourdough, yogurt, apples, honeys, and optional hemp seeds.
Dice your apples, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a pan. Add the apples to the pan and mix in cinnamon, brown sugar, and nutmeg for 10 minutes on medium heat. Stirring occasionally throughout.
Toast the sourdough slice and spread yogurt on top.
Layer the warm apples, top with hemp seeds and drizzle with honey.
Havarti Cheese and Fig Toast
This toast can be made in one go with one pan. Start with a slice of sourdough, butter one side, place this side down on a pan over medium-high heat. Next add two slices of Havarti cheese, cook until melted. Add sliced fig, fresh basil, and remove from heat. Drizzle with honey and you’re done!
SAMMYS
Grilled Zucchini and Caprese Sandwich
A simple lunch packed with produce that you can make in under 15 minutes! Follow the quick recipe below:
Lightly butter your sourdough slices.
Slice a medium zucchini lengthwise into strips. Season with salt and pepper, and grill until charred.
Spread pesto on the inside of one slice of bread, then layer with fresh sliced mozzarella, salted sliced tomato, and grilled zucchini. Drizzle the other slice of bread with a balsamic reduction.
Sear both sides of the sandwich on a grill pan or skillet.
Crispy Eggplant Sandwich
A twist on everyone’s beloved caprese sandwich. The fresh zucchini makes this sandwich unbeatable. To make, start by making the main condiment, Tomato-Tarragon Relish then create the eggplant parmesan. Layer it together and you have the most delicious meal.
Find the full recipe here.
Veggie and Avocado Pesto Grilled Sandwich
Simply toast two slices of sourdough, then spread in the following order to make the ingredients “stick” best:
On one side: pesto, two slices of cheese, and sliced avocado
On the other side: hummus, roasted red peppers, and arugula
Avocado Tuna Salad Sandwich
This sandwich is a one-stop-shop for your daily protein intake. Not only that, but it’s super quick and easy to make, with the below ingredients:
1 can light tuna
1 medium avocado
1 shallot, finely chopped
3 tablespoons plain greek yogurt
1 tablespoon mustard
2 stalks celery, diced
1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 lime or lemon, juiced
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
Simply mash the avocado, combine the rest of the ingredients and fill your sandwich!
Chickpea Salad Sandwich
A vegetarian alternative to the above, classic tuna salad, this chickpea version is still packed with flavors. These are so quick and perfect for a lunch on the go, totaling only 15 minutes to make! All you need are:
2 cans (15.5 oz) chickpeas about 3 3/4 cups
2 tablespoons celery minced
2 tablespoons yellow onion minced
2 tablespoons parsley
4-5 tablespoons mayonnaise
2-3 teaspoons Dijon mustard plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt
Click here for the full recipe. In addition to the chickpea salad, I added tomatoes and cucumber to complete the sandwich pictured above. You can either eat directly or quickly toast the sandwich on a stove-top or panini press for some extra crunch.
Stale bread?
Not to worry. It is still salvageable. My three favorite things to do with stale bread are:
Croutons: simply slice into 1 inch cubes, drizzle with oil, season with your heart and bake at 375F until golden, around 15-20 minutes.
Brown sugar pro-longer: did you know placing a slice of bread makes your brown sugar never harden? All you have to do is bury a slice of bread into your brown sugar bread and it works like magic.
Breadcrumbs: place cubed bread in a food processor or blender. Blend on high speed for 30 seconds to a minute until coarse pieces. Bake at 300F for about 10 minutes, stirring halfway.
Thanks for tagging along on this rather ~ long ~ blog post! I hope this inspires you the next time you look at a sliced loaf and are unsure what to make of it! As always, reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns and let me know what you guys try out in the comment section below!