The simple trick to revive a stale loaf of bread

The simple hack promises to make your loaf almost as fresh as when you bought it. Photo / Getty Images

Once bread goes stale, there's little you can do with it other than turn it into breadcrumbs - or if you're feeling indulgent, a bread and butter pudding.

But now Good Housekeeping Institute (GHI) has revealed that there is a nifty hack that can revive a stale loaf in mere minutes so you can enjoy a fresh-tasting slice of toast in no time at all.

And the secret to rejuvenating your stale loaf is to douse it in water, according to Cher Loh, head tutor at the Good Housekeeping Institute Cookery School.

Cher reveals that running a loaf under the tap for a few seconds, or immersing it completely can bizarrely help to revive your stale bread.

"This re-hydrates the bread," he said.

After dousing the loaf, he reveals that you then need to bake it in the oven at 200C or 180C fan for a few minutes.

Once it's done, your loaf will be almost as fresh as new.

However this hack only works once, according to Cher, so once you've tried it you won't be able to use it again on the same loaf.

The hack also only works on an unsliced loaf - so don't soak a pre-sliced supermarket loaf as it won't revive the bread.

There are also a few storage hacks that can make your loaf last that little bit longer which ensure you can eat the whole thing before it's thrown away.

Bakery loaves are best kept in the brown paper bag they come in from the bakery or a bakery section of a supermarket, according to Good Housekeeping Institute.

That's because the paper will absorb any excess moisture, which causes a hard crust to go rubbery.

It's best to store these loaves at room temperature in the original bags.

Shop-bought loaves meanwhile are best kept in a plastic bag at room temperature - never in the fridge.

Though keeping it chilled will keep mould from growing on the loaf for a longer time, bread will turn stale more quickly in the fridge.