How to Soften Hard Bread
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It’s happened to all of us. You splurge on that $6 artisan baguette and can only eat half of it. You wrap up the leftovers hoping for the best, only to discover the next morning that the baguette has turned hard as a rock. Don’t toss it just yet! Your bread can still be saved, and you won’t need any fancy tools to do it.
1 – Preheat oven to 350
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. If you think of it, move a rack to the middle of the oven. No big deal if you forget.
2 – Place baguette under running water
This is going to look and feel so very wrong, but trust me it works. Hold the bread cut-side down and let the water run over the entire baguette for 10-20 seconds. You don’t want it sopping wet–just damp enough to absorb the moisture lost when the bread went stale.
3 – Place bread in oven
Promptly place the baguette directly on the oven rack–no sheet tray necessary.
4 – Warm for 5-10 minutes
Depending on how wet your bread was, it should take 5-10 minutes for the baguette to warm through. As the bread heats up, any excess water will evaporate leaving you with fluffy warm bread and a nice crisp crust.
5 – Enjoy!
Remove the baguette from the oven, using tongs or an oven mitt since the bread will be very hot. Slice and serve!
