Some clever ways to freshen up your stale bread
There aren't many things that smell as good as freshly baked bread straight from the oven. But trying to keep your bread fresh is no easy task, especially if you live alone. Getting through a loaf of bread before the last few pieces have dried out is not always possible unless you want to eat sandwiches for every meal. The good news, however, is that there are a few ways you can freshen up your stale bread and make it taste almost as good as it did on the first day. We'll show you how it's done here...
You will need:
- stale bread
- paper towels
- aluminum foil
- one or two stalks of celery
The Microwave Method
Take a paper towel and hold it under cold water. You don't need to soak it, just make it moist.
Wrap the damp paper towel around the stale bread.
Put it in the microwave for ten seconds.
Now you can unwrap the bread and enjoy it fresh and warm.
The Oven Method
Preheat the oven to 300°F and wrap the stale bread in aluminum foil.
Now put it in the oven for approximately five to 20 minutes depending on the amount and the type of bread.
Take it out of the oven and let it cool.
Tip: If the bread is very stale, you can moisten the top before wrapping it in foil and putting it in the oven. Be sure not to use too much water or the bread will come out too soft. Try adding the water bit by bit until you find the right amount.
The Celery Method
Put some stale bread and a couple of stalks of celery in a plastic bag and make sure it is tightly closed.
Put the bag in the refrigerator for a few hours. For best results, leave it in the fridge overnight.
The next day you can take the celery out of the bag. You'll notice that it has probably dried out. That's because the moisture has been absorbed by the bread which should be nice and soft.
Tip: There will always be some cases where the bread is just too dry and no matter what trick you try, you won't be able to soften it up again. In these cases you can use the dry bread to make croutons for salad or soup or you can head down to the nearest pond and feed it to the ducks.
And there you have it — three easy ways to save your bread and some money at the same time. Try it out for yourself!