Buying loaves of bread can feel like a waste of money, especially when they’re left half-eaten and stale. But you may not have to worry about throwing away stale and dry bread, as some culinary experts swear by a viral hack that revives bread to its fluffy self.
Bread goes stale when it loses its moisture, and its starch molecules crystallise. This can happen quicker when placed in environments with very cool temperatures, like fridges. Depending on how you store it, bread loaves can go stale anywhere between two and seven days.
Making sure it’s stored properly, like in a bread bin or cool dry place, can help prolong its shelf life.
However, culinary experts at Delish tested out an innovative hack that is said to revive stale loaves to their former glory. In a TikTok video from October 2024, Delish explained that they would be testing out a ‘water bath method’.
They said: “If you also have stale bread that looks and sounds like this, don’t throw it out, you can revive it.”
Come prepared with a bowl filled with water, enough that your loaf can be submerged.
Delish continued: “All you’re gonna do is submerge your bread into water, and then pop it into a 400℉ (200℃) oven for around five to ten minutes – and that’s it.
“By adding moisture back into the bread and then putting it into the hot oven, you give the chance to re-soften, re-crisp up the outside, and honestly, it’s almost like a freshly baked loaf of bread.”
Naomi Imatome-Yun wrote for WonderHowTo: “Revived bread has a much shorter shelf life than freshly baked bread. Enjoy your now-delicious bread, but don’t expect it to last much longer than half an hour. Revived baguettes start hardening quickly and will return to their hardened form.”
Cher Loh, head tutor at the Good Housekeeping Institute Cookery School, previously warned that this hack should only be used on unsliced loaves only, so avoid soaking any pre-sliced loaves you’ve bought from the supermarket.
