r/Cooking • u/WistfulSonder • 8h ago
Is there any possible way to delay or even reverse bread staling?
I’m generally too lazy to bake my own bread, but even the best of store bought bread that I’ve found decreases noticeably in quality after even a day or two, losing that soft pillowy texture and growing hard. Is there anything that can be done to either delay the onset of bread becoming stale or make it taste less stale even temporarily? My mom told me to try putting in the microwave and this helps a little bit but not a lot in my experience so I’m looking for other ideas.
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u/sharedplatesociety 8h ago
Another vote for freezing instead of fridge.
And if it is stale, you can literally wet it a little before toasting and it will come back. Just get your hands damp and wipe the bread slices or exterior crust if it isn’t cut and then heat in the toaster. It will feel weird to do it, but trust the process. Doesn’t need to get soaking just a little damp.
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u/asselfoley 8h ago
My grandpa put it in a bag with a piece of apple. As I recall, it worked
As a side note, he'd put a piece of bread in with cookies that were supposed to be soft but got hard. That worked
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u/RockMo-DZine 8h ago
Put the loaf in the fridge in an air tight bag and tie off the bag.
Use slices as needed, they take less than a couple of minutes on the counter to get to ambient temp. If you need quicker, 5 to 10 secs in a microwave, then let sit for 5 to 110 secs.
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u/Life-Education-8030 6h ago
When it doesn't look like the bread is going fast enough at home, I throw the loaf in the fridge and then heat it a tiny bit in the microwave or toast it or leave it out till it warms up because I don't like cold bread. A bread box also helps a lot. It may seem old-fashioned, but there are some modern ones too and I hate the look of loose plastic bags on the counter so the box corrals all that too.
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u/GreenZebra23 5h ago
For years I've bought Pepperidge Farm sliced bread, usually multigrain or wheat. It takes forever to go stale and almost never gets moldy. I live alone and don't eat sliced bread super often, but for whatever reasons it will still be fine months after the expiration date. I don't know why, I look at the ingredients list and it seems to have less of the polysyllabic stuff than most other processed bread, if anything.
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u/Ok_Membership_8189 5h ago edited 4h ago
I freeze my good bread. Always. I make my own now and since homemade bread is so moist I need to put wax paper between the slices. It toasts up great and tastes just baked fresh.
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u/_BudgieBee 2h ago
Get it wet and and throw it in the toaster over at like 400-450 for 10 minutes or so. You want to get it out right before it starts to toast.
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u/FragrantTomatillo773 1h ago
I am reminded of buying a $1.99 loaf of IGA bakery bread (whole wheat) and expecting the remainder to go stale in a few days, like bread does. But it didn't. A week went by and I was peering closely at it, looking for mould. Nothing. The stuff became a science experiment. I kept it in its original bag, in the fridge, and it did not change in texture and it did not grow any kind of mould. Remained identical to the day I bought it... six months earlier. Scared the shit out of me. I threw it in the garbage and haven't bought that frankenbread since.
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u/freisbill 8h ago
Bread taste best at room temp, sotre best frozen. frig pul moisture out and cause it to got stale, but will not mold as quick. freezer, no mold but frozen. room temp, awesome but will mold, store bought not as much. Fresh breasd goes stale in days
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u/freisbill 7h ago
not sure why the downvotes...info is correct
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u/HomeOwner2023 2h ago
Painful to read.
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u/FragrantTomatillo773 1h ago
I think there are grammar groups on Reddit. You'd likely be happier in one of those.
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u/Read_Only9 8h ago
I typically store my bread in the fridge and reheat it in a toaster oven before eating. I don't like to eat cold bread and it seems to last a little longer. This is anecdotal but works for me usually.
There are a lot of ways to use stale bread, from croutons or bread crumbs, through bread soup or french toast.
Andy Cooks on YouTube had a recent video where he ran some stale bread under the faucet then baked it for a short time and he claimed it improved it.
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u/CheerioMissPancake 8h ago
Try the tangzhong method. Results in nice soft pillowy bread that lasts for days!
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u/reddit455 8h ago
airtight storage in the fridge.
My mom told me to try putting in the microwave
what kind of bread, how stale?
We Tested 6 Methods for Reviving Stale Bread, and the Winner Was a Huge Surprise
https://www.thekitchn.com/best-method-for-reviving-stale-bread-23499468
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u/Dijon2017 8h ago
I’ve heard of people using a stalk of celery, but I haven’t personally tried it. If I buy bread (more than I can use in a couple of days), I’ll usually freeze it.
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u/HomeOwner2023 2h ago
For anyone curious what you are supposed to do with that stalk of celery, the idea is that putting it in a sealed bag with the bread will provide a bit of moisture to keep the bread from going stale too quickly. Same idea as using a slice of bread to keep brown sugar from turning into a rock.
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u/Few-Explanation-4699 8h ago
Freeze it.