How to soften stale bread
Don’t throw away your stale bread just yet. Here’s how to easily revive it.
Problem Solved, USA TODAY
There’s something magical about fresh bread, especially if it’s a soft yet slightly crunchy baguette. However, it can go stale fast, and if you don’t enjoy it in time, it becomes more of a weapon and less of a food.
Fresh bread can be frozen to help it last longer and to prevent it from getting hard and stale, or worse, getting moldy. If you forget to freeze it in time and find that it has gotten stale, there’s a simple way to bring it back to life.
Watch this video to see how easy it is to make stale bread fresh again.
Reviving stale bread
It only takes a few minutes to revive stale bread.
Start by getting your oven warm and toasty. If it has a warming setting, use that. Otherwise, preheat it to 300ºF. While it’s warming, run the stale bread under water so the exterior is saturated. Be careful not to get the inside wet, especially if the loaf is cut.
Next, put the bread in the oven to bake. The cook time depends on the size of the loaf, but start with 5-6 minutes for a smaller or half loaf, and longer for a larger one. Once it’s soft, it’s ready to enjoy again!
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Recipes with stale bread
Stale bread can also be used in its hardened form. Grab your knife and cutting board, and repurpose it to make:
- Croutons.
- Bread pudding.
- French toast.
- Meatballs.
- Breadcrumbs.
- Breakfast casserole.
