Before you throw away the old, hardened bread product, try to restore its texture with heat and moisture. This method is most effective if the bread is stored neatly wrapped and still has some ability to rise. However, this method can even improve bread that is already rock-hard to a certain extent.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Heating the Bread in the Oven
Step 1. Preheat the oven to a low temperature
Set the oven temperature to 150ºC. The heat will be able to refresh the old bread, although the effect will only last for a few hours.
Step 2. Add water only if the edges harden
Even old bread still contains a lot of water. Bread tastes dry because the starch molecules have formed and trap the water content. This means you don't need to add water to the rest of the bread. If the edges of the bread are hard, sprinkle a little water on them, or moisten them with water from the tap if the edges are very hard.
If the bread turns dry from heat or exposure to air, it loses some of its moisture content. Moisten the entire loaf to restore moisture
Step 3. Wrap the bread in aluminum foil
This prevents the steam from escaping, thus keeping the moisture in the bread.
Step 4. Heat until soft
If the bread is already moistened, wait until it is no longer soggy. This heating step takes 5-15 minutes, depending on the size of the bread and whether you wet it.
Step 5. Remove the aluminum foil and heat for another five minutes if the edges are too soft
When the bread is soft, but the edges of the previously firm bread are soggy, remove the aluminum foil. Reheat for another five minutes, or until the texture of the edges of the bread is back to the way it should be.
Step 6. Immediately eat bread
Heat "melts" the molecular structure of starch to release trapped water, but it can also make bread go stale faster when it's cold. Bread that is reheated like this will only last a few hours at most before it hardens and goes stale again.
Method 2 of 3: Steaming Bread
Step 1. Bring water to a boil in a steaming pot
Pour some water into the pot. Heat over high heat until the water boils, then remove the pot.
- If you don't have a steamer, you will need a strainer that can be placed over the pan and a lid that is large enough to cover the strainer.
- This method adds less heat than the oven, but with more moisture. This more moisture is especially useful if the reheated bread has been very old and hardened, or has not been wrapped in storage.
Step 2. Place the crusted bread on top of the steaming basket
Place the steamer basket or colander over the steaming pot and cover.
Step 3. Leave covered until the bread is soft
Allow at least five minutes to soften the bread.
Method 3 of 3: Using the Microwave O
Step 1. Cut the bread and eat immediately
Microwaves can make bread soft, but it's not perfect. Within a few minutes, the bread usually turns tough and even tougher than before. This is the quickest method, but it's best to use it only when making a snack that's going to be eaten right away.
This happens because the microwave oven evaporates some of the water content. The escaping steam pushes the starch into a denser structure and causes the bread to dry out. Slow heating over a short period of time can reduce this adverse effect. However, it is difficult to find the right part of the microwave oven that is hot enough to soften the bread
Step 2. Wrap the bread with a damp paper towel
Moisten a little plain white tissue. Wrap the bread with the tissue. This will add moisture and trap some of the steam in the bread to keep it soft.
Step 3. Heat with a 10 second pause
Depending on how strong your microwave is, the bread may be soft after 10 seconds. If not, repeat this step checking it frequently.
Tips
- Light bread lasts longer than dense bread. Breads and cakes with fat, sugar, and other additives also tend to have a longer shelf life.
- To extend shelf life, freeze bread and warm it in the oven before eating. If you prefer not to warm it, wrap the bread in plastic or aluminum foil until it is airtight and store at room temperature to make it edible for a day or two longer.
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You can make garlic bread while re-softening the bread. Follow the oven's guide with these additional steps before heating it:
- Cut the bread first, but don't break it at the bottom.
- Spread butter on each slice of bread.
- Rub in the crushed garlic, salt, and chopped dried or fresh herbs.
Warning
- Heating the bread for too long will evaporate the moisture in the bread and make it tough and dry. This can easily happen in a microwave oven due to uneven heating.
- The refrigerator can prevent mold from growing on bread, but it can't keep bread fresh. Starch retrogradation (the process that makes bread stale) occurs much faster in cold temperatures (above freezing).
