How To Soften Hard Bread (2024)

Emily Han

Emily Han

Emily Han is a Los Angeles-based recipe developer, educator, herbalist, and author of Wild Drinks & co*cktails and co-author of Wild Remedies. For recipes and classes, check out her personal site.

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updated May 2, 2019

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How To Soften Hard Bread (1)

What can you do with a rock-hard loaf of bread? Besides using it as a doorstop, there are countless recipes that take advantage of stale bread — or you can use one of these simple techniques to soften it quickly…

In the oven: Preheat oven to 200° or Warm setting. 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.

In both cases, keep a close eye things so the bread doesn’t overcook and the towel doesn’t catch fire!

Do you have any other tips for softening hard bread?

(Image: Emily Ho)

How To Soften Hard Bread (2024)

FAQs

How To Soften Hard Bread? ›

In the oven: Preheat oven to 200° or Warm setting. 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.

What additive makes bread soft? ›

Reddi-Sponge is a reducing agent made with dairy whey and L-cysteine and I bet that 6% level really gave you a soft and extensible dough. The best suited product for your application is an additive co*cktail made with SSL (sodium stearoyl lactalate) and distilled mono-diglyceride.

How do you soften hard bread on the stove? ›

Let your bread cook for 6-7 minutes.

Set a timer on your stove, microwave, or phone for about 6 minutes, and check on your bread after the timer is up. Your loaf should be warm and soft. If your loaf is very wet, you may need to extend the cooking time to 10-12 minutes.

What to do with rock hard baguette? ›

Simply drench your rock-hard baguette in cold water then tightly wrap it in aluminum foil. Next, place the wrapped baguette in the oven (not preheated), then set the temperature to 300°F and let is heat for 12 to 15 minutes.

Why can't you put bread in the microwave? ›

Bread isn't dangerous to microwave, but it doesn't taste great! Microwaving heats bread from the inside out, so you miss out on the nice crunchy exterior you get from toasting. Plus, microwaving bread re-gelatinizes the starch in the dough, giving it an unpleasant soft and chewy texture.

What to do with dry bread? ›

Use it to make budget-friendly breadcrumbs, soak it in custard for bread pudding or strata or make the absolute best French toast. Whatever you decide, you'll be glad you didn't toss those crusty slices. Got crust trimmings? Those are great, too.

Why does microwaving bread make it soft? ›

In microwave heating, the starch of the bread is re-gelatinised. That is to say, the starch molecules bind to water molecules, which sort of dissolve or plasticise the starch, making the texture of the bread softer overall. One of the properties of microwaves is that they are absorbed by water.

How do you make bread soft and spongy? ›

Final answer: Baking soda is used to make bread soft and spongy. Q. Baking soda is used in small amount in making bread and cake. It helps to make these soft and spongy.

What happens when bread goes hard? ›

"Staling" is a natural process that occurs when the water and starch molecules that were made spongy during baking begin to rearrange themselves once the bread has cooled.

Why did my bread turn out so hard? ›

The flour could have too low a protein content, there could be too much salt in the bread recipe, you did not knead it or leave it to proof long enough, or you could have killed the yeast by leaving the dough to rise in a place that was too hot.

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