How to Soften Hard Bread Quickly and Easily

Bread is a household staple for many, but it can go stale if you don’t eat it in time. When this happens, don’t throw it away –– learn how to soften hard bread instead.

Stale bread is a problem that all of us will encounter at one point or another. Although it might be tempting to throw out this unfortunate leftover, there are actually ways to soften hard bread. By using the methods below, you can reduce food waste and learn how to reuse bread that has gone stale.

How to Soften Hard Bread in the Oven

One method for softening hard bread is to heat it up in the oven. To use this method:

1. Wrap your stale bread in a damp towel and heat at 390F for 5-10 minutes. 
2. When removed from the oven, the bread should have regained some of its softness.

Preheating the oven can end up wasting a lot of energy, so try adding the bread in before you turn the oven on. It might take a bit longer to soften, but the energy won’t be wasted on an empty oven. 

Using the Microwave to Soften Hard Bread

Another similar method is to use a microwave to soften hard bread. To use this method:

1. Wrap your hard bread in a damp towel, like above.
2. Place it in a microwave and place on high heat for 5-10 minutes

The results may vary depending on the idiosyncrasies of your microwave, so check to see if it has worked and repeat as necessary.

Softening Hard Bread with Celery

If your bread comes in a plastic bag, and especially if it comes pre-sliced, this option may work well. It takes a bit more preparation, as you’ll need to leave it overnight, but it is an extremely simple method to soften hard bread. To use this method:

1. Place a few sticks of celery inside the plastic bread bag.
2. Seal carefully to ensure as little moisture escapes as possible.
3. Place the bag with your bread and celery inside your fridge, and leave overnight.
4. When you check again in the morning, the moisture from the celery should have transferred over to the bread, resulting in softer bread. 
5. Once you’ve used the celery to soften hard bread, don’t let it go to waste. Consider adding it to a homemade vegetable broth, which you can use for later enjoyment. 

Tip: Instead of purchasing store-bought bread in plastic bags, try making your own using some of our tasty recipes: 

• Easy Spelt Bread 
• Quick Buckwheat Bread
• Yeast Free Soda Bread  
• Gluten-Free, Yeast-Free Bread 
• Healthy Cauliflower Bread

Other Things to Do with Stale Bread

If you’ve tried all of these methods to no avail, you can also try repurposing your bread creatively by trying out these stale bread recipes. Different cultures around the world have developed unique ways to reuse stale bread, from French toast, to croutons, and even dumplings. These methods prove you don’t always need to soften hard bread to enjoy it. 

For bread that has gone beyond the point of being usable and has begun to grow mold, you can still save it from completely going to waste by composting it. Bread can actually help your compost pile by encouraging healthy decomposition. As food waste becomes more and more of an issue globally, we can all do our small part by learning how to use old ingredients in this way.

Read more:

• How to Freeze Bread by Slice or Loaf & Keep It Fresh
• Reuse Vegetable Scraps: Skip the Trash and Put Food Back on Your Plate
• What You Can Compost, What You Can’t — and Why

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