Home Baking Bread Crust Too Hard
Bread Crust Too Hard
Your bread crust is thick and tough because it baked too long or cooled in dry air. A short steam will soften it.
tough crust · hard bite · vegan
The fix
Tap a step to check it off.
- 1 wrap the loaf in a clean towel and mist lightly with water
- 2 warm at 300F for 8 minutes to steam-soften the crust
- 3 slice and serve with butter while warm
If it's still wrong
- Slice thin and toast for crostini.
- Cube and bake for croutons where crunch is desired.
Prevent next time
- Reduce bake time by 3 to 5 minutes.
- Cool bread in a bag once just warm to retain moisture.
Notes
Why this works
Steam restores moisture to the crust, which relaxes the dried starch and proteins. Warming gently avoids further drying while improving chew.