Add the butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl and beat until creamy. Add the egg, yogurt, baking soda, raisins (or currants), pecans, flour, and spices. Mix until smooth. Finally, add the bread crumbs. Pour into a 1-qt dish or 8-inch square pan. Heat oven to 350˚F (180˚C). Allow the bread to warm for about 10 to 15 minutes. The bread absorbs the trapped moisture in the foil, making it soft. 5. Crisp the crust: Remove the foil when you’re satisfied with the bread’s softness. Place the bread back into the oven for 5 more minutes to evaporate excess moisture and crisp up the crust. 6. The best way to soften a bagel is in the oven. Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Before heating the bagel, run it under the hot tap for a few seconds. Once the outside of the bagel is wet, place it on the oven rack and heat it for 5 minutes. This softens the bagel without burning the exterior. Wrap the loaf tightly in plastic wrap, then wrap it again in foil or freezer paper. Label with the date and freeze for up to six months. Tip: Slice your bread before you freeze it. That way, you won't have to thaw and refreeze the entire loaf every time you want a slice or two. Food52 x GreenPan Ceramic Nonstick Fry Pan With Gold Handles, Set of 2 $99. Of course, ribollita is only one of the many ways stale bread is put to good use around the world. Bread pudding is another one—the staler the bread, the better to soak up all of that custardy deliciousness. Panade is yet another. But in the spirit of Heather—and This week Reactions is looking at some chemistry/science pro-tips on how to put the crunch back to stale chips and bread. Nothing kills snack time quite like Turning dried-out bread scraps into homemade bread crumbs is a simple way to minimize waste, but pulsing bread chunks in the food processor can be a messy chore. Melissa Clark discovered an ingenious way to easily transform stale bread into mounds of bread crumbs without the usual overheating processor or gunked-up blade:Use the grater attachment! She dries out slices of day-old bread in a 300 Smell the bread: If the bread smells musty or sour, it may be stale. Fresh bread has a pleasant aroma that is hard to miss. Check the texture: Stale bread is usually hard and tough to chew. French toast is a great way to use up stale bread, but a tried and true recipe from Cook's Illustrated suggests baking your bread slices in the oven on a wire rack for eight minutes each side at Remove bread from the freezer and leave at room temperature for up to six hours. Alternately, place bread in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours. Always leave the bread wrapped while it thaws. RA2av.