The bread absorbs the stain.

When it is turned out, the bread has absorbed the juices of the berries and it is no longer recognizable.

The tomatoes, five or six minutes, and then the bread only until it absorbs the liquid.

Add bread and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until bread has absorbed most of the liquid.

Add the milk and let stand until the bread absorbs most of it.

The bread absorbs the juices from the stew, breaking down eventually to the texture of a soft polenta - lovely.

(If tightly wrapped, the bread absorbs the juices better.)

The dish starts out as a soup, but halfway through, the bread has absorbed the broth and you are left with something that is more of a peasant stew.

For meatballs, combine bread and milk in a bowl, and stir until bread has absorbed milk.

And the pudding is a savory take on pain perdu (alias French toast), in which stale bread absorbs a new identity thanks to eggs and dairy.