Freshened Bread
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Quickly dip the stale bread or rolls into cold water.
Place them on a rack in a 350°F (175°C) oven.
Bake for 30 minutes for bread and 15 minutes for rolls.
Alternatively, steam the bread until hot throughout if desired.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Stale bread or rolls
- The main item; its starch has firmed as it dried, and reheating softens it again.
- Cold water
- Moistens the crust briefly so the surface does not dry out or harden further in the oven.
The step that matters
Quick dip in cold water. Only a brief dip is needed. Soaking lets too much water into the crumb, which can make the bread gummy rather than soft and crisp-crusted.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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