Austria wastes approximately 210,000 tons of bread and baked goods annually, with households contributing significantly to this alarming statistic. We frequently overlook the potential value in these everyday items. From farm to bakery to our kitchens, these resources gradually lose their significance along the supply chain.
When food fails to reach our tables, its options become limited. The most favorable outcome is conversion into animal feed or biogas. However, there exists a better alternative: transforming these leftovers into delicious new meals.
Did you know that stale bread makes a great pizza dough?
My Circular Pizza Recipe demonstrates how to repurpose leftover bread and baked goods, reducing waste while creating something truly tasty/delicious.
To make this concept more tangible, I conduct practical workshops where participants experience circular cooking directly. True understanding often comes through hands-on experience, where people can see and taste the delicious results for themselves
Creating the Perfect Dough
Stale bread, particularly varieties like sourdough, wholegrain, or seeded bread that’s at least two days old, makes an ideal foundation for pizza dough. These types add substantial depth and texture to the final product. The natural spices and crust contribute to a more nuanced, complex flavor profile that surpasses traditional flour-based dough.
For optimal results, ensure the bread has dried sufficiently to mill finely in a food processor. Any surplus breadcrumbs can be conveniently stored in the freezer for future use.
Circular Pizza Dough Recipe
- 320 g (7.4 oz) water
- 1 tsp sugar
- 5 g (0.3 oz) dried yeast or 20 g (0.7 oz) fresh yeast
- 280 g (13.5 oz) pizza flour (type 00)
- 120 g (0.7 oz) milled leftover bread (super dry)
- 1 tsp of turmeric (optional)
- 30 g (1 oz) of extra virgin olive oil
- 10 g (0.35 oz) salt
Preparation Method
Simply follow the standard Pizza Brunch recipe while adding finely milled stale bread to your dough mixture. This small addition transforms ordinary pizza dough into something truly special. The repurposed bread crust and spices create a superior, more savory flavor profile while adding nutritional benefits. Wholegrain and seeded varieties provide complex carbohydrates that digest slowly, delivering sustained energy without the blood sugar spikes caused by refined white flour.
Sourcing Stale Bread
No bread leftovers in your household? No Problem!
Visit your local baker – Most bakeries sell day-old bread at reduced prices, and many participate in bread donation programs.
Join a food rescue initiative – Organizations like Vienna’s Brot Piloten (my top recommendation for locals) collect and redistribute surplus bread while strictly maintaining hygiene standards.All distributed bread meets food safety requirement.
Check supermarket clearance sections – Many markets discount bread nearing its best-by date, offering perfect dough ingredients at lower prices.
Make it a group effort – Invite friends to contribute their unused bread. Most people are eager to participate in new creative solutions to combat food waste.
Rethink Leftovers: From Surplus to Second Life
When it comes to leftover pizza, the journey doesn’t have to end in the bin.
Circular thinking opens a spectrum of creative and practical reuse pathways. Surplus slices can be placed in community food-sharing fridges, extending their edible life and making them accessible to those who need them most. Through fermentation techniques, as practiced in projects like Cucina Alchimia, yesterday’s pizza can be transformed into unique, flavor-rich creations. Freezing portions ensures they remain ready for future enjoyment, while thoughtful planning turns them into a next-day meal that saves both time and resources.
Beyond the kitchen, non-edible components such as pizza boxes or food scraps can inspire innovative material reuse and even art installations, highlighting the beauty and value that still exist in what many see as waste.
By reithinking leftovers not as the end of a meal but as the start of something new, we foster a mindset where every resource is respected and creatively repurposed.
Christine's Circular Pizza Brunch 