Pretty much every society in the world has its own version of bread. Human society runs on bread, and so it is the greatest tragedy when the bread gets a little too hard and it’s not so enjoyable to eat anymore. Bagels, which can be eaten no matter the time of day, can get a little too hard and chewy for my liking. But no worries, there’s a way to fix the round, bready wonder. Here are four ways to make your stale bagels soft again.
1. Microwave it.
One way to fix up a hard bagel is to use the good old microwave.
You can wrap up the bagel in a moist paper towel and heat for 15-30 seconds. I recommend checking the bagel first before going for the full 30 seconds. The wetness of the paper towel creates a steam that moistens the bagel.
Another option is lightly misting the bagel or adding drops of water on the plate for that same effect then microwaving the bagel.
2. Soak the bagel in hot water and put it in the oven.
Another way to save an over-the-hill bagel is to use an oven or toaster oven. If you want the bagel to have a crispy outside, soak the bagel in hot water and then wrap it up in aluminum foil. Then put the bagel on a cookie sheet and into a 350-degree Fahrenheit oven for five minutes. Make sure the bagel is whole and not cut in half.
You can also skip the aluminum foil step, like @thenootch on TikTok, and just pop the bagel in your oven for the same amount of time.
3. Toast it.
Don’t really mind the hardness? You could also toast a stale bagel the same way you would toast a fresh one, and typically the result won’t be too different. Technically this doesn’t soften the bagel, but it does make it more edible than it was before.
4. How to prevent staleness all together.
Want to skip all the steps above and stop your bagels from going stale in the first place?
You can individually tightly wrap up your bagels in aluminum foil to prevent air from getting to them and turning them hard. You can have soft bagels even 24 hours after buying them! Just be prepared to use a bit of foil.