Inspired by conversations on the Food52 Hotline, we're sharing tips and tricks that make navigating all of our kitchens easier and more fun. Today: Forgot to stale the bread? Not to worry—stay calm, follow these easy-peasy steps, and carry on.
So you think your days of emergency bread-staling are over, do you? The stuffing's behind you? There are bread puddings and breadcrumbs and croutons in your future yet. And amidst your adept holiday meal-planning, you might (just might) let staling the bread slip.
When that happens, don't scrap the bread pudding. (Never scrap the bread pudding.) Here is what to do.
If you remember with a day to go, slice your loaf.
The more of the bread's surface area you expose to air, the faster it will stale; slice it, and you're giving yourself a leg up on the whole process. (If you'll eventually be cubing your bread, be careful to cut it into slices with the same thickness you'd like your cubes to have.) Lay the slices on a cooling rack you'd normally use for cookies, let the air circulate, and watch your bread go gloriously brittle. Tomorrow it will be ready to turn into breadcrumbs or put into that pudding.
![How to Make Stale Bread (Yes, on Purpose!) (1) How to Make Stale Bread (Yes, on Purpose!) (1)](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==)
If you truly have no time, turn to your oven.
Giving your bread a quick bake in a 350ºF oven will starve it of its moisture—which is exactly what you're looking for. Cut your loaf into evenly sized cubes or slices (depending on what you're making), and toast them, dry, for 15 to 20 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Proceed with your recipe. (Please save us some.)
![How to Make Stale Bread (Yes, on Purpose!) (2) How to Make Stale Bread (Yes, on Purpose!) (2)](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==)
A Few Recipe Ideas for All That Stale Bread
This Tuscan bread soup takes just five simple ingredients (think: tomatoes, garlic, and stale bread) and magically turns them into a spectacular dish.
![How to Make Stale Bread (Yes, on Purpose!) (3) How to Make Stale Bread (Yes, on Purpose!) (3)](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==)
"For our first dinner in the new house, my mom made a staple of Mexican home cooking, albóndigas (meatballs in a tomato sauce)," writes Isabel Torrealba in her My Family Recipe.
![How to Make Stale Bread (Yes, on Purpose!) (4) How to Make Stale Bread (Yes, on Purpose!) (4)](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==)
French toast goes the savory route in this extra-crispy version with a healthy kick of salt and freshly ground pepper. Maple syrup gets swapped for ketchup, or if you're feeling like something spicy, Sriracha.
This "kitchen-sink" dish works for almost anything you've got lying around the fridge (from soon-to-be-wilty greens to leftover sausage), yet looks impressive on a dinner table.
![How to Make Stale Bread (Yes, on Purpose!) (5) How to Make Stale Bread (Yes, on Purpose!) (5)](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==)
We'll admit it: Our favorite part of French onion soup is the melty-crispy cheese on top. But those hunks of crisp, stale bread give the soup its classic, comforting heartiness.
![How to Make Stale Bread (Yes, on Purpose!) (6) How to Make Stale Bread (Yes, on Purpose!) (6)](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==)
How do you stale bread in a hurry? Tell us in the comments!
Photos by James Ransom
FAQs
Giving your bread a quick bake in a 350ºF oven will starve it of its moisture—which is exactly what you're looking for. Cut your loaf into evenly sized cubes or slices (depending on what you're making), and toast them, dry, for 15 to 20 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Proceed with your recipe.
How to soften hard bread quickly? ›
Wrap the bread in a damp (not soaking) towel, place on a baking sheet, and pop it in the oven for 5-10 minutes. In the microwave: Wrap the bread in a damp (not soaking) towel, place it on a microwave-safe dish, and microwave on high for 10 seconds. Check and repeat if necessary.
Does warming up stale bread help? ›
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.
What to do with rock hard bread? ›
Leftover heroes: Stale bread
Blitz into breadcrumbs to use in puddings, meatloaf or stuffing, flavour with garlic and herbs to sprinkle over pasta or risotto, or use it to coat chicken or fish.
Can you revive stale bread in a microwave? ›
All you need to do is place your bread inside a damp paper towel, and microwave it on a plate for 10 seconds. The water will revive the starch molecules in the bread's flour, the reaction between the two will occur again, and you'll have your soft bread back.
Does toasting bread make it less stale? ›
Toasting is a common method of making stale bread more palatable. Bread is commonly toasted using a toaster or a toaster oven.
Can you leave bread out to make it stale? ›
If you leave the bread out on the counter to go stale, it can take up to a couple of days to become dry. Prefer a quicker method? Drying your bread in the oven will only take about 40 minutes. You can even do it a few days ahead and store the dried bread cubes in an air-tight container.
Can hard bread be made soft again? ›
If you want to make stale bread soft again, wrap the bread in foil. If the crust of the bread is very hard, sprinkle a little water on the outside before you close the foil. Place the bread in a 300°F oven for 5-15 minutes or until the bread feels soft. If you added water, heat the bread until it no longer feels soggy.
How to make bread soft again without oven or microwave? ›
Moisten a section of paper towel long enough to completely cover your loaf of bread (or the portion that you intend to eat). Do so by soaking your paper towel in cold water, and then squeeze out as much of the water as you can. Wrap your portion of bread in your damp paper towel snuggly.
What is the secret to making soft bread? ›
One of the easiest ways our bakers follow to make bread soft and fluffy is by using 1-2 tablespoons of lubricant/fats such as vegetable oil to wet the ingredients. This will prevent the formation of excess gluten, as excess gluten makes bread chewy.
Hold the loaf of bread under a running faucet and cover the exterior in hot or cold water—the temperature doesn't matter. The drier the loaf, the more water you should use. If the loaf is only slightly dry, you can brush the outside with water, or fill an empty spray bottle and gently mist the loaf with water.
Should I throw stale bread? ›
Stale Bread and Stale Cereal Is Safe to Eat.
If there's no mold, it's fine to eat. You might consider making bread crumbs with stale bread, reviving it by running it under water and refreshing it in the oven, or add stale cereal into a snack bar recipe.
Does keeping bread in the fridge make it go stale faster? ›
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. So that's the science in a nutshell.
How do you revive stale bread without an oven? ›
Wrap your portion of bread in your damp paper towel snuggly. Place your covered loaf or slice into your microwave. Microwave for 10 seconds. Remove your bread from the microwave.
How do you refresh stale frozen bread? ›
How to refresh stale or frozen bread
- Take the loaf and run it under the tap to wet the exterior crust. ...
- Put the newly wetted loaf on the middle rack of an oven heated to 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes depending on thickness of the loaf. ...
- Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes on a wire rack.
How do you extend the life of fresh bread? ›
Yes, the freezer is most often used for long-term food storage, but if you want to keep your freshly-baked bread in its most perfect state, even just for a few days, the freezer is the way to go. Freezing bread greatly slows down the staling, or retrogradation, process and eliminates the risk of mold growth.