Food - Drink
The Unexpected Trick For Saving A Stale Baguette
By KALEA MARTIN
There are many types of bread that can last a long time without going stale, but baguettes aren’t one of them. Baguettes turn hard quickly because they are made solely with flour, water, and yeast, and with no fat included, it's hard for this type of bread to retain moisture and stay soft.
Bread gets stale because of retrogradation, a process in which water evaporates from the bread and its starches crystallize; to return the bread to its original state, moisture needs to be added back into it. To save your stale baguette, Bon Appétit suggests drenching the loaf under running water before putting it in the oven.
The baguette should only be wet on the outside, but if the inside gets wet, the baking time will increase. After wetting the baguette, it should take about 6 to 10 minutes in the oven at a temperature no higher than 300 degrees, or else the bread may dry out again; once the crust is dry, take out the baguette and enjoy.