Bread Upma is a popular easy-to-make Indian recipe using leftover bread in less than 15 minutes that you can serve for breakfast, evening snacks, or after-school snacks.
The leftover bread is cut into cubes and tossed in aromatic spices, which makes it melt in your mouth.
About the recipe
Do you have leftover bread like this, stale bread, or day-old bread? Then there is nothing better than this simple recipe to use them in.
This bread upma is also called bread usli, bread masala, bread uppittu, bread poha, bread oggarane, etc. What is it called in your native language? Let me know in the comment section below.
Bread Upma has been one of my favorite recipes since childhood. If you come to South Indian school or college cafeterias/canteens and tiffin centers, you will see bread usli as one of the popular items on the menu. Thus it is also sometimes referred to as South Indian style bread upma.
To prepare this recipe, all you need is the bread of your choice (brown bread, white bread, baguette, multi-grain bread, or even pav or buns), along with onions, a few aromatic spices, and 15 minutes. Adjust all the spices in the recipe as per your liking.
Every small piece of bread gets coated in spices, making it highly addictive.
While you are here, check out some of the best Indian breakfast recipes and Indian snack recipes.
Ingredients
- 18 leftover Bread slices
- 1 tablespoon Oil
- 1 teaspoon Mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon Urad dal
- 2 Small Onions, chopped
- 8 to 10 Curry leaves
- 3 Green chilies, finely chopped
- ¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon Coriander leaves or cilantro, chopped
How to make Bread Upma without tomato?
Cut the bread slices into bite-sized pieces and keep this aside.
Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. To this, add mustard seeds. When they start to splutter, add cumin seeds and saute for a few seconds. Add urad dal and continue to saute until it turns light in color.
Add onion and curry leaves and saute until the onion becomes translucent. Now add green chilies and turmeric powder and continue to saute for 1 to 2 minutes on medium flame.
Add the bread slices, salt, and sugar, and sprinkle some water. Cover and let it warm through for 3 to 4 minutes.
Add lemon juice and coriander leaves, and mix. Serve and enjoy.
Pro Tips:
As mentioned earlier, use any bread of your choice - white bread, brown bread, multi-grain bread, pav or buns, sourdough bread, or even French/Italian baguettes.
You can add cashews, almonds, and peanuts if desired.
To make it more nutritious, you can add veggies like capsicum, green peas, sweet corn, etc. For kids, you can even add grated cheese.
How to store leftover bread usli?
You can store them in air-tight containers and keep them in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop in a pan until heated through. Sprinkle some water before reheating so the bread pieces do not dry out and become chewy.
How to make bread upma with tomato?
To make bread upma with tomato:
- Add chopped tomatoes after the onions turn translucent (see recipe steps given above OR in the recipe card).
- Add turmeric powder and green chilies and cook until tomatoes turn soft or mushy.
- Follow the remaining instructions given in the recipe.
FAQs
Bread masala is slightly soggier than bread upma as it soaks up all the masala it is cooked in.
For masala bread, the ginger-garlic paste is sauteed along with onions. Finely chopped tomatoes are then added and cooked until they turn mushy. Red chilli powder, cumin powder, and garam masala powder are added, and the masala is cooked for a couple of minutes.
The consistency of the masala should not be too dry. Rather, it should be like a thick gravy or paste. Thus adjust the consistency by adding a few splashes of water. Finally, bread pieces are added and tossed in the masala. Before serving, garnish it with finely chopped cilantro and onions.
Yes. This recipe works best with day-old bread or stale bread. However, if you suddenly crave for bread upma and have only fresh bread on hand, here is the trick. Lightly toast the bread slices in a toaster oven or pan or a regular oven. Cut the toasted bread into bite-sized pieces, and you are ready to prepare upma as given in the recipe.
Entirely skip onion in the recipe given here, and replace it with ¼ teaspoon of Asafoetida powder or Hing powder. To make the dish more wholesome, you may add nuts of your choice and parboiled vegetables. You can garnish with cilantro and some freshly grated coconut.
A common feature in Maharashtrian-style bread upma or bread chivda is the finely chopped bread pieces. Almost like cornflakes! Follow the same recipe and steps given below. In addition to the ingredients in the recipe below, you can add finely chopped tomatoes, a pinch of asafoetida powder, dry red chilies, and roasted peanuts to get the authentic Maharashtrian flavor. If you like the bread upma to be soft, cook only until the bread is heated through - say for 3 to 4 minutes. If you want the final texture of the bread to be crispy, continue to saute for a longer duration.
In the recipe below, after the onions turn translucent, add chopped vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, capsicum, green beans, peas, sweet corn, etc. Cover and cook until the vegetables become tender. Then follow the recipe given below.
Video
You can also check the video on the making of bread upma.
Other Indian Breakfast and Snacks Recipes
- Instant Wheat Dosa
- Tarri Batata Poha
- Instant 10 minute Dahi Bhalla
- 2 minutes Sweet and Savory Dahi Poha
Recipe card
Bread Upma | Bread Usli | Leftover Bread Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Pan
Ingredients
- 18 Leftover bread slices
- 1 tablespoon Oil
- 1 teaspoon Mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon Urad dal
- 2 Small Onions, chopped
- 8 to 10 Curry leaves
- 3 Green chilies, finely chopped
- ¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon Coriander leaves or cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Cut the bread slices into bite-sized pieces and keep this aside.18 Leftover bread slices
- Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. To this, add mustard seeds. When they start to splutter, add cumin seeds and saute for a few seconds. Add urad dal and continue to saute until it turns light in color.1 tablespoon Oil, 1 teaspoon Mustard seeds, 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds, 1 tablespoon Urad dal
- Add onion and curry leaves and saute until the onion becomes translucent. Now add green chilies and turmeric powder and continue to saute for 1 to 2 minutes on medium flame.2 Small Onions, chopped, 8 to 10 Curry leaves, 3 Green chilies, finely chopped, ¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- Add the bread slices, salt, and sugar, and sprinkle some water. Cover and let it warm through for 3 to 4 minutes.½ teaspoon Salt, 1 teaspoon Sugar
- Add lemon juice and coriander leaves, and mix. Serve and enjoy.Juice of 1 lemon, 1 tablespoon Coriander leaves or cilantro chopped
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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