Have you ever reached for a baguette only to find it has become rock-hard? Don’t worry; reviving a stale baguette is quick and easy. We’ll show you two effective methods using the oven and microwave to bring your bone-dry bread back to life. Perfect for some cheesy garlic bread (recipe below), croutons, or chewy slices of bread and butter.
Recently, Sister and I bought a baguette while grocery shopping. Unfortunately, we forgot to store the bread properly, leaving it on the counter for two days, which made the beautiful loaf stale as the day is long. Lesson learned: the next time, we’ll do a better job storing our beautiful baguette.
Like many of you, we’re solo/single seniors, and money is tight. Tossing the stale bread out was not an option, and we don’t often use breadcrumbs or croutons, so those options wouldn’t work for us either.
So, to save money, eliminate food waste, and still use the baguette for cheesy garlic bread, I had to find a way to revive our stale baguette. And I found a few ideas; let’s talk about them.
Why Do Baguettes Turn Stale?
Baguettes are made with yeast, flour, salt, and water but no fat. Since there is no fat, there is nothing in the bread to trap moisture and keep it soft. The ingredients make a delicious, crusty, chewy loaf that should be eaten within a few hours of being baked, or stored properly.
When not stored correctly (ahem), the water will evaporate, letting the starches crystalize, causing the baguette to become bone-dry; this process is called retrogradation for the brainy-acks in the crowd. The take-away from this is to store your bread well otherwise, you’ll have a brick to chew on.
Proper Storage for Freshness.
If you don’t plan to eat your baguette within a few hours of purchasing it, you can wrap it tightly in aluminum foil or a bag for a few hours, leaving it on the counter. If you’re not going to eat it for a few days, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil, and freeze it for up to three months.
Thaw a frozen baguette for a few hours on your kitchen counter or in a warm oven to 300° F/148° C. on the middle rack for 10 minutes.
You can also thaw it in the microwave for ten to thirty seconds, maybe more depending on your oven. Before putting your frozen bread in the microwave, unwrap it from the aluminum foil.
Methods to Revive a Stale Baguette.
All is not lost when your baguette turns rock-hard. We’ll tell you two effective ways to use the oven or microwave to revive your bread, including adding water and heat to reverse the dehydration of your loaf.
Oven Method
Preheat the oven to 300° F/148° C, then run the bread quickly under cold water; DO NOT saturate it. Wrap the bread tightly in aluminum foil and put it in the oven on the middle rack for 6-10 minutes. The steam caused by the hot oven, and the sealed wet loaf, will soften and revitalize your baguette.
Our loaf took ten minutes to revive completely. Make sure you check the baguette after six minutes.
Microwave Method
Once again, we’re using steam to put the moisture back into a dry loaf. Follow these steps: Wrap a damp cloth around your bread or use a microwave-safe container with a splash of water. Place the bread in the microwave and heat it for 10-second intervals until it has softened. Bear in mind the limitation of this method might be the size of your microwave.
Celery Method
We tried the celery method first, and put the stale bread in a sealed bag with a stalk of celery for 24 hours. However, this method barely made a difference, only softening the part of the bread directly touching the celery.
Now that your baguette is no longer fossil-like, it’s time to make a tasty treat.
Delicious Cheesy Garlic Bread with Green Chilies
This versatile, delicious, gooey cheesy garlic bread makes a beautiful snack, appetizer, or accompaniment with lasagna, chili, soup, or slices of meat as a sandwich. Use your favorite cheese and add peppers, onions, bacon, or whatever makes your heart sing. It’s the best reason to soften your stale bread. Your mouth will thank you.
Ingredients:
- Preheated oven: 400°F (200°C)
- One baguette, preferably fresh and sliced in half lengthwise
- 4 to 6 tablespoons of unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ½-1 clove garlic, minced
- 4 ounces or ½ cup of your favorite shredded cheese (I used Colby Jack cheese)
- 1 4 oz. cans of green chilies, drained well
- A pinch of salt (omit if using salted butter)
- 1-2 pinch(es) of black pepper
Instructions: Incorporate all ingredients and spread evenly on each half of a baguette. Put each half of the bread on a sheet pan, place the pan on the oven’s middle rack, and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the cheesy garlic bread from the oven and allow the bread to cool for five to ten minutes.
FAIR WARNING: Give the bread time to cool because hot molten cheese will burn you.
Cheesy Green Chillies Bread from a revived baguette.
Storing Your Cheesy Garlic Bread
You can store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container or wrapped tightly in aluminum foil for up to two days.
Rewarm the bread in a preheated oven at 300° F/148° C for about 5 minutes. Or, if you’re fancy like us, in the microwave for 10 to 30 seconds.
Conclusion
And there you have it, it’s easy and fast to revive a stale baguette back to something that you’ll want to put your whole face in and gobble right up.
Have you tried these methods to soften a stale baguette? Let us know your results or share a tip in the comments below. Thanks for your time.
Peace.
JoAnn