How to Make Stale Bread (Yes, on Purpose!) (2024)

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.

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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.

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.)

A Few Recipe Ideas for All That Stale Bread

Pappa al Pomodoro (Tuscan Bread Soup with a Sage Oil Drizzle)

This Tuscan bread soup takes just five simple ingredients (think: tomatoes, garlic, and stale bread) and magically turns them into a spectacular dish.

Albóndigas al Chipotle

"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.

Crispy Salt & Pepper French Toast

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.

Strata with Sausage & Greens

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.

French Onion Soup, the Scorched Way

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 do you stale bread in a hurry? Tell us in the comments!

Photos by James Ransom

How to Make Stale Bread (Yes, on Purpose!) (2024)

FAQs

How to make bread soft again without oven or microwave? ›

Add moisture.

Brush or spritz water all over the bread. Use more if the loaf is very dry and/or has a thick crust. Use less if the loaf has a thin crust or just needs a little pick-me-up. I've actually run the crust of a stale loaf directly under the faucet for a brief second without the bread getting soggy.

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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.

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What is the fastest way to make bread stale? ›

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.

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Will hard bread soften in 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.

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What is the trick to 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.

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What makes bread soft and tender? ›

Usually it's gluten (a product of the protein in flour) that determines bread's texture. Bread where gluten plays a prominent role will be chewier. When the gluten level is lower, or when gluten is tamed by the addition of “softeners” like milk, butter, eggs, or oil, the bread will be more tender.