foodperson.com

I don’t remember where I read this tip years ago, but it still works. I was reminded of it as I prepared Tuesday’s lunch and decided to include the week-old dinner roll wrapped in plastic on my counter. (That was before the New Year’s Day cleaning.) Here’s how it works:

1. Douse your stale bread item with water. I usually just take the loaf or roll or piece of corn bread and pass it quickly through a stream of water.
2. Stick it in a 350-degree (or thereabouts) oven. I use a toaster oven and wouldn’t heat up a whole oven for a roll, but if you’re already baking something else, no reason not to pop in the old roll.
3. Take it out in about 5 minutes.
4. Eat nice, warm, moist bread with properly crisp crust!

I know it sounds unlikely, but it really does work.

If I’m trying to restore slices of bread, I generally run the water over the crust part (and try to limit the water on the cut faces) and partially encase the slices in foil. You may wonder why a week-old dinner roll made with egg and including some sugar wasn’t moldy. Let’s just say the counter near the window isn’t as toasty as the oven.