Bagels are one of the most popular breakfast items around the world. They are delicious and perfect for a quick breakfast on the go. However, sometimes bagels can become hard and difficult to chew, making them less enjoyable, which means knowing how to soften hard bagels is helpful.
Fortunately, there are a few simple tricks you can use to soften hard bagels and make them taste fresh again. In this blog post, we will explore the different methods to revive your stale bagels, from steaming and toasting to microwaving and baking.
With these techniques, you can enjoy your favorite breakfast food without worrying about biting into a rock-hard bagel. So, grab your bagels and let’s get started!
Why Do My Bagels Become Hard?
Staling is a natural process in any starch including products like cakes, buns, or bread. When your bread is baked, the starch ingredients are separated, making a loosely soft texture.
As soon as it is taken out of the oven, a process of the starch molecules binding together to create a solid structure begins and results in hardening bread. Hence, this is why it is easy to slice a loaf or bagels when their texture becomes firm after cooling down.
How To Soften Hard Bagels
It is ideal to eat store-bought bagels, multi-grain, white, or whole-grain within 5–6 days. If you didn’t eat them all in time, you won’t need to waste a good batch of bagels if you know how to soften hard bagels!
Although your bagels have become stale, they are still edible. As long as there are no signs of spoilage, white or black mold spots, you can eat these stale bagels.
Here are the simplest techniques that you can use for getting soft bagels:
Soften Hard Bagels By Microwave
Put your day-old bagel in an airtight container. Then, you will need to sprinkle warm water on the bagel. The splash of hot water is there to avoid drying out the bagels during microwaving.
Another way you can provide moisture to your bagels is by using a damp paper towel. Specifically, wrap the bagels with a towel and take it off before you microwave the bagels.
Place the bagel container inside the microwave for 20 seconds first. Then, take it out to test its texture. Use your fingers or a spoon and press the dough. If it is soft and chewy, then the bagels are ready to be served.
You can repeat this for 1-2 minutes until it is thoroughly heated and softened.
Note: It is recommended that you use the bagels right away instead of leaving them out at room temperature for hours, as the staling process will kick-start again.
Soften Hard Bagels By Oven
Another effective way you can use to soften bagels without drying them out is using an oven. It has been used for many bread products like baguettes and cakes, so why can’t you try softening bagels in an oven?
You can have amazingly soft, chewy, and hot bagels with a regular oven ora toaster oven as if they are freshly baked.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
- Take out a baking sheet and place the dry bagels on it. Next, you need to moisturize the bagels by adding warm water with a pastry brush. Dip the brush inside and gently coat the bagels with water. If you don’t have a pastry brush, you can also sprinkle water onto these hard bagels with your wet fingers.
- Once you have dampened the bagels, it is time to put the baking sheet inside the oven. The time for toasting a bagel in the oven is about 5 minutes.
- Subsequently, take out the baking sheet to check if they are ready. If your bagels become puffier clearly, it is a sign of soft and tasty bagels. Now, you should use them as soon as possible before the staling process starts again.
Soften Hard Bagels With A Toaster
If you want a quick way to soften hard bagels, this is a great technique for toaster owners. Depending on your toaster settings and efficiency, the temperature can be varied. However, it should always be higher than what you normally set for regular toast.
So, to soften hard bagels with toasters, simply slice the bagel into half and put it in the toaster. Set the relevant temperature and wait for that ting sound!
What To Do With Leftover Hard Bagels
Maybe you still have a batch of bagels, or you forget to use them after reheating? Then, what to do with stale bagels besides softening them?
Croutons
Another great way you can utilize a batch of stale bagels is by making homemade croutons out of them. The bagels are hard already, so you don’t even need to cook them. With diced bagels, just add some olive oil and seasonings to make a tasty crouton dish.
Bread pudding
You can also transform dull, stale bagels into amazing and mouth-watering bread pudding.
How To Store Bagels
If you cannot eat them right away, it is best to store them in the freezer to slow down the staling process. Freezing bagels is a common way to keep your bagel fresh for a long time. You can store them anywhere from 6 to 12 months, depending on your needs..
