How to refresh hard, dried bread?
How to refresh hard, dried bread?
I'm talking about leavened bread.
I know that it is possible, but difficult, some kind of an art, and I know ways not to do it.
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Soaking it in water quickly will make it soaking wet, making the pores collapse and totally destroying the texture.
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Soaking it too short will only soften the outer layer.
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Soaking it for days will get it moldy.
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Steaming it encounters similar problems, but is probably on the right path.
Anyone here who was done it successfully? What to do, and what to avoid?
3 answers
Depending on the "variety" of hardness, heating the bread slowly can work. When bread goes stale, it (the proteins, if I remember correctly) crystalizes, and the heat denatures them again. And you want to do that slowly, since doing it quickly toasts the bread.
I picked it up as wrapping it (foil or a brown paper bag) and heating it at 300°F (150C) for five minutes at a time until it seems usable.
Also, I remember, when consumer microwaves were new, that heating bread there for about a minute turned it absurdly soft, but if you didn't eat it soon it turned rubbery. Presumably, the technology (and training) has gotten better, but it's beyond my experience.
I have also heard that, for more difficult situations, especially pre-packaged bread, of people sealing a couple of celery stalks in a bag with the bread overnight, though I have never tried that, either.
When bread is hard, there's often some residual water being held by the proteins and starch in the dough. You can use a microwave trick to make dough soft again. The way a microwave heats is by making water molecules vibrate vigorously within food, giving off heat. Microwaving stale bread will release the bound water and soften the bread, but eat it right away because it will harden again quickly. You can lightly toast it after microwaving. Wrapping a baguette with a damp towel and baking it for a little while also works, it just takes longer.
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Lightly sprinkle water on the bread, wrap it in foil, and heat in the oven at 160°C for 8 to 10 minutes to restore softness and freshness.
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