Fried bread is a delicious snack as well as a great way to use up stale bread. Prepared with only 3 ingredients in about 5 minutes, enjoy savory or sprinkle with sugar for a tasty sweet treat!
Pan fried bread is a great way to use up stale bread lingering in your kitchen. It's the perfect snack, or even breakfast, that you can prepare in minutes. This is, in my opinion, the Italian version of french toast!
I recently learned of pane fritto from my mom who enjoyed it back in Sicily when she was a child and quite honestly I can't believe she has never prepared it for us!
This is the perfect example of cucina povera, that is making use of what you have on hand. Simple food prepared with few ingredients, and most importantly no waste, is without a doubt the backbone of Italian cooking.
And it doesn't get any easier than this. Just slice up some stale bread, dip it in milk and pan fry it until crisp.
In fact, you can also skip the milk, dip it in water and fry it which is most often what my nonna did back in Sicily! Enjoy immediately as is or dredge it in sugar for a treat sweet.
Use of stale bread in Sicilian cooking
There are endless ways of using up stale bread in Sicilian cooking.
-The crumb of stale bread is crumbled and soaked in milk and/or water to make meatballs or meatless meatballs.
-The crumb, broken down in coarse chunks is turned into muddica (shown below) and pan fried to make pasta ca muddica or cauliflower pasta.
-And it is also delicous in my mom's stuffed eggplants and peppers recipe.
I often remove the crumb from the bread, pulse it in my food processor and store it in a plastic container in the freezer to have on hand for these recipes.
As you can see, there is no reason to let bread go to waste once it is no longer fresh when there are so many ways to transform it!
What is the difference between fried bread and fried dough?
This fried bread recipe basically consists of sliced Italian bread dredged in milk or water and fried in oil until crisp.
This is not to be confused with Sicilian sfinci or pizza fritta recipes in which a leavened dough is first prepared and then fried.
Which type is bread is best for frying?
The best bread for this recipe is a loaf of rustic Italian bread. Homemade bread such as my mom's bread recipe or this Sicilian semolina bread recipe would work well.
I would not recommend a baguette that does not have sufficient amount of crumb to soak in milk nor would I use pre-sliced toast.
Ingredient list
- Italian bread: ideally 2-3 days old, cut into 1 cm slices
- Milk: for dredging the bread, can be replaced with water if you prefer
- Olive oil: for pan frying
- Granulated sugar (optional): for dredging before serving
The following are step by step instructions with images to guide you through this recipe. Please scroll to the end of this post for the detailed printable recipe card.
Step by Step Instructions
- Cut bread into 1 cm thick slices.
- Pour enough olive oil to cover the bottom of a skillet large enough to hold 4 slices of bread, otherwise fry the bread in batches. Heat the oil over medium high heat.
- Place the milk in a shallow plate and lightly dredge both sides of the bread in the milk. Allow excess milk to drip off.
- Do not oversoak the bread or it will fall apart while frying and remain soggy.
- Carefully place the bread in the hot oil and fry 2-3 minutes per side until crisp and golden.
- Transfer to a paper towel lined plate to absorb excess oil.
- Serve immediately as is or dredge in granulated sugar if you prefer a sweet treat.
Recipe Notes
- Sprinkle some grated Parmigiano on each slice before serving.
-Dip both sides in a combination of cinnamon and sugar.
-Serve as you would french toast with a drizzle of maple syrup.
-Top with your favorite jam.
-Soak lightly in milk or water to avoid soggy fried bread.
-Use bread that is at least 2-3 days old.
-Fried bread is best eaten immediately when it is crisp and hot and therefore can not be prepared in advance.
Did you try this recipe?
Let me know how much you enjoyed it by rating it in the recipe card below!
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Check out more Italian fried dough recipes!
Ingredients
- 4 slices Italian bread
- ⅓ cup milk or water
- ⅓ cup olive oil or as much as needed to evenly cover the bottom of your skillet
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (optional)
Instructions
- Cut bread into 1 cm thick slices.
- Pour enough olive oil to cover the bottom of a skillet large enough to hold 4 slices of bread, otherwise fry the bread in batches. Heat the oil over medium high heat.
- Place the milk in a shallow plate and lightly dredge both sides of the bread in the milk. Allow excess milk to drip off.
- Do not oversoak the bread or it will fall apart while frying and remain soggy.
- Carefully place the bread in the hot oil and fry 2-3 minutes per side until crisp and golden. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate to absorb excess oil.
- Serve immediately as is or dredge in granulated sugar if you prefer a sweet treat.
Notes
-Serve as you would french toast with a drizzle of maple syrup.
-Top with your favorite jam. Tips: -Soak lightly in milk or water to avoid soggy fried bread.
-Use bread that is at least 2-3 days old. Can fried bread be prepared ahead? -Fried bread is best eaten immediately when it is crisp and hot and therefore can not be prepared in advance. Please note that the nutritional information provided is per slice of bread dredged in sugar.
tdchinges
This Fried Bread is stunning, thank you for your recipes that taught me how to make pane fritto
Nadia
Thank you!