How to make stale bread soft in a microwave or oven

Fragrant crisp bread, still hot, the smell of which instantly arouses the appetite - a favorite treat for many, but, unfortunately, all baked goods are perishable products and quickly lose their originalspecific properties.

One of the main features of changing bread during storage is its hardness, which occurs due to evaporation of moisture from the finished product. What to do with such a weathered product? It can be completely refreshed and using simple ways to give it softness again. Basically, these methods are based on the effects of high temperatures and high humidity. Bread can again be made soft in a microwave oven, oven, in a frying pan, resorting to some tricks.

Softening in the microwave

This method is considered to be one of the fastest and most effective, although it is more suitable for bread in slices - the thickness of the slices for softening in the microwave should be about 2 centimeters.

You can implement in two ways.

1. Slightly sprinkle stale pieces of water and place in the oven for a maximum of 60 seconds, in addition in the microwave next to the bread you can install a saucer or a glass of warm water. It is better to check the state of the slices every 15 seconds - otherwise you can dry them, making it even harder. In addition, it is desirable to cover a special lid for microwaves made of plastic.
2. Dampen a paper towel in a cool water, squeeze out excess moisture from it and wrap the dried bread, which then, together with the towel, is placed in the microwave for 10-20 seconds.

Giving the softness in the oven

This method of preparatory operations is practically the same as the method of softening in the microwave oven - stale pieces are pre-sprinkled with water or wrapped in a damp towel and kept in a preheated oven. At a temperature of 160-180 degrees to give softness it takes 2-3 minutes, at 100-120 degrees - 5-8 minutes.

It is still possible to freshen stale bread in the oven, wrapping it in food foil beforehand, in this case the aging time increases - at a temperature of 160-180 degrees it will be 10-15 minutes. Be sure to let the bread cool a bit before removing it from the foil.

Steam recovery

The simplest version of this method is softening in a steamer or multivark, for this you need to withstand stale bread in the operating mode for 1-2 minutes.

In the absence of a steamer or multivarker, you can use ordinary pots and a colander. Place the dry slices or a whole piece in a colander and put it over the pan with boiling water. It is important that water does not touch the bread, otherwise it will turn into a mushy mass. Having sustained stale pieces 5-7 minutes, you will get quite soft slices, suitable for use. The disadvantage of this method is the need for constant monitoring of the process - the product can absorb an excessive amount of moisture, and it will have to be dried.

Restoring softness in a frying pan

This method can not be called one of the most effective, although it can be used. Hardened bread, just as in the case of an oven and a microwave, should be slightly moistened with water and then put on a dry frying pan heated up on a low heat and held for 1 to 5 minutes.

Soften in a package

Hard slices or a piece of bread are placed in a normal plastic bag, which is tightly tied and placed either on a window sill, if it is a warm season and it receives direct sunlight, or on a battery, if, of course, they are hot. The process of softening will take quite a long time, but the effect will be longer. After some time, thanks to the condensate, which will begin to form in the bag, the bread will begin to become soft.

You can put the dry bread in a bag with the celery root and put in the refrigerator for the night( at least 6 hours).In this case, the pieces of the product should be as small as possible. After the specified time, you can see how the celery dried up, giving away its moisture to the soft product now.

Use of a leaked product

If it is not necessary to restore the original properties of bread, it is quite possible to find use, namely:

• to dry further, if necessary using a mixture of seasonings, then use as biscuits;
• add minced meat as an ingredient of cutlets, meatballs, cabbage rolls and any other chopped semi-finished products;
• used in the composition of homemade cakes - it can be various pies, patties;
• make breadcrumbs from dry bread;
• cook croutons, pre-dipping bread slices in the egg.

Important!

It should be noted that softening of stale bread is necessary immediately before its use. The reconstituted product remains soft for no more than 2 hours, and once again it will not be softened.

In addition, trying to revive the stale slices, be sure to check them for mold, which is quite common on bread not the first freshness. If the product is visible at least the initial signs of the appearance of mold fungi, then use it for food, try to soften or add to the other dishes can not, because the use of products with mold can cause very severe food poisoning.

How to store bread so that it remains soft for longer

In order not to think about how to soften a weathered bread again, and not to look for ways to use a stale product, it is only necessary to know how to store it properly.

• In the breadbox. It will provide the longest shelf life and maintain softness. In addition, you can put sugar or salt in a small container in the breadbox - this trick will maintain the optimum moisture level for storage.
• In plastic bags. This will ensure the preservation of softness for 4-5 days. It is better to make holes in these bags( using a conventional puncher), since without access to air, the bread will quickly mold.
• In special bread pouches. They consist of two layers of cotton fabric, between which a polyethylene gasket with holes. You can buy such bags in supermarkets.
• In a paper bag or wrapped in a sheet of paper. For this, categorically can not be used newspapers - harmful substances inks can quickly absorb into the product.

Try to keep the bread correctly, do not buy it much, so that it does not lie down. And if it so happened that the product still stiffened, make sure that there are no other signs of spoilage and soften it with any of the suggested methods. And Bon Appetit!