Did your loaf of rye or rustic artisanal sourdough baguette turn into an oversized crouton? Before you throw it out or crumble it for the birds, use our methods to bring back stale bread – saving it for your next lunchtime sarmie. Don’t get us wrong, stale bread is great to make panzanella, ribolata, and bread pudding, but it’s worth taking 15 minutes to revive it.
Also see: Interesting desserts to make with bread
Follow along to discover how to revive stale bread.
Why does bread go stale?
Bread that has gone stale is characterised by a dry, hard feeling – the opposite of a crunchy exterior and a bouncy, spongy interior. But why does it happen? It’s the result of moisture from the bread’s starch granules moving through the bread (and eventually evaporating). As the moisture moves, it breaks down the starch’s structure. This forces the starch molecules to realign and recrystallise, resulting in the bread becoming hard and dry, i.e. stale.
But the good news is that there are a few methods you can use to bring that loaf of sourdough sitting on the counter back to life.
How to revive stale bread
What you’ll need:
- Stale bread
- Paper towel
- Tinfoil
- Water
- Spray bottle (or brush)
- Microwave
- Oven/air-fryer
Also see: Microwave Volcano Mealie Bread: The South African Side Dish Everyone’s Talking About
Important tip before you start: Check the bread for mould (white, blue-green areas). Mouldy bread, whether fresh or stale, is unhealthy for consumption.
1. Tin foil oven method
- Fill a spray bottle with water, or a bowl with water and ready a pastry brush.
- Spritz or brush the loaf with water to moisten it.
- Wrap the loaf completely with tin foil and place it in a cold oven.
- Turn the oven on to 150ºC and heat for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Remove the tin foil and place the uncovered loaf back into the oven.
- Heat for another 5 to minutes, until the exterior is crunchy.
Results in a soft, chewy texture, but takes 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Dampen and directly reheat method
- Heat an oven or an air-fryer to 200 °C.
- Run the loaf under a tap for 30 seconds or so and place it directly in the oven for about 10 minutes.
- Remove once the loaf has a crunchy exterior with some sheen, and enjoy immediately.
An effective method that results in a crunchy exterior and a soft interior.
3. Microwave and toaster oven/air-fryer method
- Completely wrap the loaf in a damp paper towel and microwave for 10 seconds.
- Heat the bread, uncovered, in a toaster oven on the first setting, or in an air-fryer set to 200ºC, until the exterior is shiny, crunchy, and the interior feels light and fluffy.
First published by Food & Home
Compiled by Annemieke van Nieuwkerk
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