Bread is one item of food we all have at home at any given time. More often than not do they get thrown in to waste bin as when you try to reheat the bread they turn out hard as rocks and not soft and crispy? And you are worried because you firmly believe in ‘Waste not, want not’. Worry no more. Reheating bread is no hard task with the correct equipment and technique. Hereafter you will never ever throw away any bread and having excess bread will never be an issue to you.
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Can You Eat Bread Next Day?
Yes, you definitely can eat the bread the next day. If you prefer eating cold bread you can eat it as it is. Me, I like my bread warm. There is nothing to beat the cosy feeling when you smell and taste warm reheated bread. If you intend eating the bread next day, it need not go to the refrigerator the day before. Storing it in a good bread box would suffice. A bread box is air tight, and there is enough space for the air to circulate and keep the bread and even the crust fresh.
Is It OK To Reheat Bread?
Worried whether it is safe to reheat bread? If it is mould free, yes, it is okay. You can reheat the stale bread and eat even if it has expired as long as mould has not set in. The bread may taste stale if you eat it raw. But, the challenge is to reheat bread without it getting hard. There are many ways to reheat the bread to get its crispiness back without it becoming hard.
Follow the methods and guidelines given below and I assure you your stale bread will transform itself in to a fresh and crispy warm loaf.
Before jump in to the methods, I suggest you to read complete guide on how to warm up frozen cornbread.
How to Reheat Bread in Air Fryer?
A quick and easy method for reheating bread is by using an air fryer. Go check and read about these best air fryers if you don’t have one. Pre-heating the air fryer at 350o Fahrenheit gives you best results when reheating bread. Place the bread in the basket and allow to cook for 3-5 minutes. The circulating high heat of the air fryer revives the bread making it soft on the inside and the outside would be nicely crusty and crispy. The bread will be ready within minutes. It is best to check at intervals whether it is heated through. For added taste, drizzle a bit of extra virgin oil on the bread before it goes into the air fryer.
Some wrap the bread in aluminum foil before placing in the air fryer. If you feel it makes your bread crispier, go ahead. It is absolutely safe to use aluminum foil in air fryer.
If you are truly enthusiast about the garlic breads, I suggest you to read complete guide on reheating garlic breads.
How to Reheat Bread in Microwave?
I feel microwaving does not bring out the best results and so for me it is not the best method. When I reheated in microwave, the stale bread became spongy and chewy. So microwaving is a definite ‘No’ for me. Anyway if you are not left with any other option, hope the following tips will help you to get the better results. So, try your luck. You may succeed.
The key to get your stale hard bread reheated soft crispy, is to keep the bread moist. Lay a lightly moistened paper towel or kitchen towel on the surface of the bread. Be mindful that the paper towel or the kitchen towel need to be damp only, not soaking wet. Next, fully cover the bread with another paper or kitchen towel. Use medium power for about a minute. Check the bread at intrvals.
The idea is to get the bread warm not piping hot. If it is too hot, the bread will be chewy and spongy. So avoid over-heating the bread. One minute on low medium power is all that you need. If it is bread slices that you need to reheat, a mere 10-20 seconds would suffice. Remember to keep an eye on them though.
Another vital point to keep in mind is that if you reheat bread in microwave, it has to be eaten immediately. Or else it will get harden again if you let it lying around.
If the bread has been refrigerated, allow the bread to come to room temperature, before popping it in the microwave.
How to Reheat Bread in Oven?
When you are left with stale bread the best method to reheat the bread is by using an oven. Bread reheated in an oven taste as if they were freshly baked. Reheating in oven makes the bread retain its original flavor.
First set the temperature of the oven at 350o degrees Fahrenheit and pre-heat the oven. Do not attempt to increase the temperature for quick warming, as it could get the bread burned and not nicely warmed. You can wrap the bread tightly in aluminum foil. Place the bread in the middle rack of the oven. Sprinkling a bit of water on the surface would help the bread not to become too dry. This way, while the center of the bread gradually warms up, the crust will remain soft and crunchy. Bake for 15-20 minutes.
Take out the bread and remove the aluminum foil. Pop the bread back into the oven for a few seconds before removing from the oven again.
Hard stale bread can be softened by wrapping the bread in a damp kitchen towel and popping into oven for 5-10 minutes. Remember, the kitchen towel needs to be damp and not soaking wet.
Of course reheated bread tastes best if eaten immediately.
If you do not possess a regular oven and wonder how to reheat bread without an oven, worry no more. There are many other ways as given below by which you still can reheat and enjoy a loaf of warm crispy bread.
Before jump in to the next method, I suggest you to read complete guide on how to reheat baguette.
How to Reheat Bread on Stove?
If you think that getting the oven ready for reheating stale hard bread is too much hassle, then you can use the stove top. All you need is a pot that fits the bread with a lid for this purpose. First wrap the bread in aluminum foil. This way you are sure to avoid the bread getting burned and also it ensures the bread gets heated evenly. Place the aluminum foil wrapped bread in the pot and cover with the lid.
Set the stove on low heat and place the pot on top. Heat the bread for about 5 minutes. You can check to see if the bread is warm enough. If it is not warm enough put it back in the pot and reheat for a further minute or so. Repeat until it comes to your desired warmth. Take the bead out of the pan and unwrap the foil.
Serve immediately.
Garlic knots are one of my favorite! This is how I used these different methods to reheat garlic knots.
How to Reheat Bread Using Toaster?
If you are in a hurry you can also reheat bread in a toaster. The bread has to be sliced for this purpose. This works best if your bread is not very dry. But reheating in a toaster is best for bread that is not too dry. Of course, if it is too dry you can sprinkle a bit of water over the slices on both sides. Place the slices of bread in the toaster. As toasters come with multiple function buttons you can choose how you want your bread to be. Whether you want it hot and nice or crispy. The choice is yours. Just press the required function button and you have the warm toasted bread the way you desire in a few minutes.
Another vital tip is to know how to reheat bread without getting it hard. Sometimes bread tend to become hard when you reheat it. To avoid this, the best option is to sprinkle the loaf with some water before reheating. Some place a bowl of water in the oven, microwave or stove. This works too. Another tip is to cover the bread with a damp kitchen towel. Remember the kitchen towel has to be damp and not soaking wet. Place the bread in oven for about 5 minutes. This way the bread will get softened.
Average Time and Temperature for Preheating a Bread
| Method | Temperature | Average Total Time Taken |
|---|---|---|
| Air Fryer | 350° F | 3-5 Minutes |
| Microwave | Medium Heat | 1 Minute (Slices – Low Medium 10-20 Seconds) |
| Oven | 350° F | 15-20 Minutes (Hard Stale Bread – 5-10 Minutes) |
| Stove | Low Heat | 5 Minutes |
| Toaster | 350° F | 5 Minutes |
How to Store Bread for the Purpose of Reheating?
The best way to store bread to retain its flavor is to freeze it. Wrap the bread well in foil and put in freezer bag before placing it is the freezer.
One thing to keep in mind before reheating the frozen bread is that it has to be placed in the fridge overnight so that it will get thawed gradually. You also can take it out and leave it on counter top for a few hours to get defrosted. Once it comes to room temperature then you can go about reheating it.
How do You Keep Bread from Getting Soggy?
If you do not want your bread to get soggy it is best to store it in the freezer. Wrap the bread well in foil and put in freezer bag. Be very sure that the bag is well sealed before placing it in the freezer.
Before jump in to the FAQ’s, i suggest you to read complete guide on how to reheat chick fil a sandwich.
FAQ
How Do You Reheat Refrigerated Bread?
The refrigerated bread needs to be taken out of fridge and left on counter top until it comes to room temperature. Once it comes to room temperature, you can adopt any of the above methods to reheat the bread.
What is the Best Way to Reheat Bread?
I would always pick the oven as the best method to reheat bread. However, I have outlined above many other ways of reheating bread. Pick the best option most suitable and convenient for you and you will be rewarded with the best reheated warm crispy bread.
Conclusion!
All above methods can be used to reheat all types of bread which have been stored in bread bags, paper bags or in a bread bin.
But if the bread has been kept in refrigerator or frozen there are a few more steps to be taken before you really get down to reheating them.
The bread kept in the refrigerator need to be kept out until it comes to room temperature.
In the case of frozen bread, place it in the fridge overnight so that it will get thawed gradually or you can take it out and leave it for a few hours to get defrosted and then come to room temperature.
Pre-heat the oven at 350o degrees for 10-15 minutes and bake in an oven for 15-20 minutes or you can reheat them in a toaster, air fryer, stove-top or micro-wave as given above.
