Last night, I stopped off to buy a fresh baguette for dinner, only to get home and realize that the bread, having been baked that morning, wasn't exactly fresh anymore. If you've ever been stuck with a loaf of "fresh" bread, or if you want to get more mileage out of a baguette you bought the day before, try this simple trick.
Heat your oven to 250 or 300 degrees, and splash some water on top of the bread — not too much that it's soaked, but just enough that it's slightly damp on top. Then, pop the moistened bread in the oven for no more than five minutes. When you take it out, the bread will feel warm and fresh, with a crispy outside and a soft middle.
Got your own tips for dealing with old bread? Share them in the comments below.
Juicy Couture
Alice + Olivia
McQ by Alexander McQueen
Great! That happens to me too
1I hate it!!!
Thanks for the tip Yum. I'm definitely going to try this!
2ahhh really?!?! this is a GREAT tip!
im gonna have to try it!
3i just make french toast!
4that always happens when we get bread from safeway. i'll try the tip next time
5What a great tip!
6I just slice it up, brush with olive oil, pop it under the broiler and TA-DA Bruschetta!
7Wish I had known about this last week! A half a loaf went to the birds because it was too hard. BOO. I'll have to try this out next time.
8Cut it up in cubes and season with garlic salt and pepper, pop in the oven and you've got croutons.
9dp-That's awesome; I was going to suggest bruschetta as well!
I like to toast the
slices in the oven and then brush them with a mixture of olive oil, kosher salt and parsley and diced tomatoes if the tomato-haters in my house aren't around.
10Great tip! thanks!
11aSLAM - Your recipe sounds great. I'll have to try that. I have a tomato hater too. Funny!
12wow awesome tip. Thanks Yum!
13I've done this before!
14I do this all the time! It's because I constantly buy things even though I know I wont eat them right away.
15Brush it with a little melted butter, wrap it in foil and pop it into the oven for a few minutes. Works every time.
16bruschetta, french toast. or once, the very unhealthy thing to do.. we hollowed out half a baquette and stuffed it with chopped bacon, scrambled eggs, chives and cheese.. threw it in the oven for a few minutes
17You could also make soup and use the bread as bread bowls (if the loaf is big enough)...
18I ate an entire loaf of french bread on my own last night. It made me sleep through lunch today so I guess that was my daily dose of calories for that day!
19I almost always have fresh whole wheat bread in the house. When we have left over French or Italian bread, I put it in a ziploc bag with a couple of slices of the fresh, soft wheat bread in the bag with it. The moisture in the wheat bread will rehydrate the crusty bread enough to keep it soft. Then I'll put it in the oven to crisp up the outside! This also works with homemade cookies that tend to get hard after they cool. A slice of bread in with the cookies keeps them soft!
20Thanks for the tip, dh! I will definitely try that.
21Post New Comment
Please share your opinion with our community, but make sure it is on topic and follows our Community Rules. We moderate comments and prohibit personal attacks, threats, spam, lewd images, or the promotion of your personal website.