To make bread soft again, lightly moisten it with water (spritz or quick rinse), wrap it tightly in foil, and warm it in a 300°F oven for 10-15 minutes to steam the moisture in; remove the foil for the last few minutes to crisp the crust, as the fridge actually speeds up the staling process by drying it out.
How to Soften Hard Bread
Storing bread in the refrigerator accelerates staling, the process whereby water is expelled from starch granules. That leaves the bread drier and harder in texture. In other words, the qualities that we associate with ``fresh'' bread (moist, soft) are destroyed by refrigeration.
If you try to microwave your bread, you'll likely get it too hot, the starch granules will burst, and the water will cook away in the form of steam, leaving your bread soft for about 30 seconds before quickly becoming even more brittle than before.
Wrap in a damp paper towel.
Lightly dampen a plain, white paper towel. Wrap it around your bread. This adds more moisture, and traps some of the steam in the bread to keep it soft.
A GREAT TIP- Revive old bread with water- Sprinkle a few tablespoons of water over bread that's a few days old, then stick it in a preheated hot oven for a few minutes. It'll bring your stale loaf back to life. This trick works best on whole, unsliced loaves like baguettes, sourdough or ciabatta.
The reason a refrigerator is bad for bread: When bread is stored in a cold (but above freezing) environment, this recrystallization, and therefore staling, happens much faster than at warmer temperatures. Freezing, however, dramatically slows the process down.
Some people swear by keeping loaves in sealed Pyrex or Tupperware containers with a layer of uncooked rice in the bottom; the rice appears to absorb just enough moisture to discourage mold, while the bread stays soft.
The low temperature and low humidity environment of refrigerators speed up the retrogradation process exponentially. So, while keeping your bread in the fridge will ward off mold, it'll also harden the bread in a matter of hours.
Stale Bread Method: Dampen, Wrap in Aluminum Foil, Reheat at 300°F. This is the approach The Spruce Eats recommends for bringing back stale bread — dampen under the faucet, wrap the whole loaf in foil, and reheat for 15 minutes in a 300°F oven.
The more moisture that is lost during baking, the drier the crust becomes, which ultimately results in a hard crust texture. Smaller loaves and rolls lose a higher proportion of their moisture weight because of a higher surface area to volume ratio. Larger loaves lose less moisture to evaporation.
Revive stale bread - stick a slice in the microwave for 5-10 seconds max to revive it. If your baguette has gone soft, sprinkle with a little water and bake for 10 mins at 180 to revive that lovely, crisp crust.
Wrap bread in cling film or tin foil
It will trap the bread's natural moisture to keep it from drying out. If your bread came in a paper wrapping, toss it out and wrap it in cling film or tin foil for longer lasting storage. If you have sliced, processed bread, you can seal it up in its original plastic packaging.
Let the bread come to room temperature, then pop in the oven for 5-10 minutes at 350 degrees for a warm revitalized loaf. Avoid storing bread in the refrigerator, David cautions. Changes in the alignment of the starch molecules are what cause bread to go stale.
Use a bread box
With its dark and dry interior, a bread box helps maintain a decent balance of moisture to keep the inside of the bread soft and its exterior crusty. Make sure there is plenty of room inside for good air circulation.
😍 Here's how to turn stale bread fresh again in less than 10 minutes 🥖 👉METHOD Wet the bread with water. Once it's wet, place it in the oven set for 450F and leave it in for 5 to 7 minutes.
Refrigeration speeds up starch retrogradation, so a loaf in the fridge will actually go stale sooner than one left at room temp. Freeze for later: Freezing is magic for bread. A well-wrapped loaf in the freezer stops starch retrogradation almost entirely. You can thaw individual slices as needed.
Storing bread in paper bags is generally better than using plastic bags. Paper bags are more breathable, allowing for air circulation that can help to keep the crust crisp and prevent the bread from becoming soggy. In contrast, plastic bags tend to trap moisture, which can encourage mold growth and spoilage.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, store-bought bread and rolls that are stored in the fridge have a longer shelf-life, lasting 7 to 14 days. 1 You can expect bread that's stored at room temperature to stay fresh for 2 to 4 days.
That said, keeping the loaf of bread in a dark cabinet away from the light kept it fresh, free of moisture or humidity, and the original plastic packaging did its job well.
Keep It in the Original Packaging
Most store-bought bread comes in plastic with bread ties designed to retain moisture and freshness. If the original bag is torn, use an airtight container or resealable plastic bag. All our loaves come with a resealable bread tie but in a pinch, a peg works just fine!
Some alternative ingredients can help give your bread added moisture. One such ingredient is milk, which has a high-fat content and can add a delightfully creamy flavor when baking. Additionally, adding mashed potatoes or cooked grains can help keep the crumb soft and tender for days after baking.
With heat, the starches will reabsorb the moisture and soften again, so toasting slices of bread is one way to revive a loaf. The reabsorbed moisture on the surface will evaporate, but the interior returns to a more plush state.
15 Stale bread recipes