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How To Make Store-Bought French Bread Crispy

How To Make Store-Bought French Bread Crispy: Solved

Last Updated on October 18, 2024 by Lori Walker

Mixing pasta and French bread creates a speedy, delicious dish. Picture garlic bread. Unfortunately, the bread slices go stale quickly.

If you want to know how to make store-bought French bread crispy for longer, read on and find out. 

3 Ways To Make Store-Bought French Bread Crispy

French bread with spread

1. Use the Oven

Sprinkle an ample amount of water on the bottom part of the bread. Don’t overdo it; otherwise, your bread might turn soggy. Wrap the bread with aluminum foil. Make sure that no air can enter the cover.

Put the bread inside the oven for 5-10 minutes at 350° F. Remove the foil to check for crispiness. If it is still not crispy, bake it again for 2-5 minutes. 

2. Use an Air Fryer

You can easily make your French bread crispy again by spraying olive oil on the air fryer tray and placing your French bread on top.

Heat the bread in the air fryer for 6 minutes at 320° F. If it is still not crispy, fry it again for another 2 minutes.

Find out how you can reheat bread in an air fryer here.

3. Revive It With a Microwave Oven

While you cannot make your French bread any crispier using the microwave, you can still use it to reheat your bread: 

Wrap the French bread with a damp clean cloth. Place the French bread inside the microwave and reheat for 30 seconds.

Add more seconds to the timer if you want your bread to be hotter.

The Science Behind Wetting the Bread

Scientists discovered that the inhomogeneous distribution of water creates less crispy and more crispy regions in the bread crust sample due to the effect of the fracture region.

“Bread solicits all five of our senses. Hear the bread as it emerges from the oven; it sings as it cools.”

– Steven Kaplan, Expert On French Culture

This makes the bread crust crispier overall than their sample, with no added water content. However, the relationship between the variables is not yet fully established as of now.

If the science of wetting the bread worries you the next time you put water to the crust, just remember that adding water basically rehydrates your bread’s crust [1].

How To Avoid Store-Bought French Bread With Soft Crust

French Bread on a baking rack

At this point, we already know that French bread gets stale quickly [2]. This does not mean they are not edible anymore, but we just need to reheat them properly.

However, what if you want to eat the bread immediately without an oven in sight? 

You can pinch the bread with tongs to check the crust’s crispiness. Still, the safest way is to ask the baker for the freshest batch.

But why is the crust of your home-baked bread so hard?

Tips & Tricks When Making Store-Bought French Bread Crispy

  • Start with low heat and a small amount of water first. Experiment with the variables and go with low risks first. A soft crust is better than a burnt crust.
  • Learn to store french bread the right way. Most hardened french bread is a result of the wrong use of containers. Use air-tight containers or bags to store your french bread.
  • Learn to operate your oven with different settings, as the majority of making your French bread crispy again will depend on how you preheat it.

Read: How Long Will Wheat Bread Last In The Fridge?

FAQs

Can butter make store-bought French bread crispy?

No, butter alone cannot make your French bread crispy. You would need a bit of water, and of course, you need the oven, air fryer, or microwave to do that.

How to revive soft French bread?

You can revive soft French bread by using water, foil, and an oven preheated at 350° F. If you’re going to use an air fryer, preheat it to 320° F.

Final Thoughts

French bread is an easy kind of bread to bake. However, bakeshops bake bread in large volumes, making their French bread dry quickly. 

To keep your French bread crispy, you can use the oven and rebake it at 350° F. If you’re going to use an air fryer, set the temperature to 320° F.

If you use a microwave, reheat it for at least 30 seconds (or higher, depending on your preference).

References:

  1. https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2010/10/steven-kaplan-explains-how-judge-french-bread
  2. https://www.sciencefocus.com/science/why-does-bread-go-stale/
Lori Walker
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