How to Revive Stale or Freezer-Burnt Bread

Nothing is more frustrating than poking inside a bakery bag and having your finger rebound off the rock solid crust of a once-soft dinner roll… #Stale.

Or opening the freezer door to find that Great-Aunt Jan’s homemade cinnamon bagels have taken the shriveled, icy resemblance of their baker (sorry, Janny)… #FreezerBurn.

Photo by Kristina Rossi

At this moment, you may feel inclined to silently curse and aggressively take those once spongy, but now dry and brittle, bricks straight to their home — the bottom of the dumpster.

Catharsis feels great. Until reality sinks in…wasted food, wasted time, wasted money. Well, wake up, because those dried out bread-y goods are anything but trash. Defrost the bread or bagels if they are frozen (there are several methods for doing so). Then choose your ressusetation method.

1. French Toast

Photo by Kristina Rossi

Great for: sweet breads, sandwich breads, and english muffins

Soaking the bread in a creamy egg batter will restore moisture while adding delicious flavor and sustainable protein. So much more satisfying than Wheaties for breakfast. Go for a basic French Toast recipe, or spruce it up with unique bread-complimenting flavors.

Photo by Kristina Rossi

Exhibit A: Substitute cranberry english muffins, cinnamon and allspice, orange zest, and a splash of orange juice. Your mother and your friends will be deceived by a fancy AF brunch. No need to confess the origin of your ingredients.

2. Breakfast Scramble

Photo by Kristina Rossi

Great for: crumbly cornbread, savory/wheaty breads, Texas toast

Let the bread and egg batter unite into a mouth watering, texturized breakfast of champions. Simply crumble the bread into your normal scrambled eggs recipe. For added impressiveness, experiment with meat and veggie mix-ins (or yesterday’s leftovers).

Photo by Kristina Rossi

3. Casserole

Photo by Stephanie Marchuk

Great for: any dried-out or stale breads

With casseroles, the opportunities are endless. You really can’t go wrong. So tear up your shriveled breading pieces, throw them in a baking dish, choose your sauce, a few mix-ins and pop it in the oven. Easy, refurbished, delicious. Consider these options: Savory Broccoli and Goat Cheese Strata, BEC Bagel Casserole, or Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding.

Photo courtesy of @thegoldenlininggirl on Instagram

Dive in, salvage those stale or freezer burnt rolls, and resurrect their moisture into masterpiece of tasty wonder.

#SpoonTip: “Freezer burnt” doesn’t mean the food is spoiled or unsafe to eat, it’s just a little dehydrated. Stale bread is also safe to eat. But if you see anything resembling dryer lint, please don’t butter my muffin. 

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