I had some bagels on the verge of becoming paperweights.

Have read in various places that you should dunk your bagels in water before toasting if you want to freshen them.

Just tried it.

Worked.

Sliced, then held soft-side-up very briefly under the faucet. Then tapped a couple of times on a towel to clear any water clinging to it so it wouldn't drip in the oven and toasted face-down on the rack.

Came out beautifully.

---

I will NOT look up "dunking your bagel" on Urban Dictionary. I'm afraid of what I might find.

Spritzing dry french or sourdough with water and a quick microwave in a paper bag works for those breads.

I just put a half teaspoon of water on 'em and nuke them for 10 seconds.

dip bagels briefly in water, wrap in alu foil, toaster oven on low for about 8-10m

---

High on a threshold yearning to sing
Down with the dancers having one last fling

We freeze our bagels and remove at night so they are thawed by the morning.
This keeps them fresh for weeks.

---

Roswell, GA (Atlanta suburb)

Quote
rgG
We freeze our bagels and remove at night so they are thawed by the morning.
This keeps them fresh for weeks.

Same here. In the morning they're nice and yummy.

---

Northern California Coast

Quote
steve...

Quote
rgG
We freeze our bagels and remove at night so they are thawed by the morning.
This keeps them fresh for weeks.

Same here. In the morning they're nice and yummy.

Freezing makes bread go stale more quickly.

I wonder whether you're inadvertently doing the "dunk" from condensation. Water migrates out of bread and into the wrapping (assuming that it's wrapped) when bread is frozen. It can be reabsorbed if left to thaw for awhile in a tight wrapper. Otherwise, bread from the freezer will be very stale.

---

Quote
Onamuji
Freezing makes bread go stale more quickly.

I wonder whether you're inadvertently doing the "dunk" from condensation. Water migrates out of bread and into the wrapping (assuming that it's wrapped) when bread is frozen. It can be reabsorbed if left to thaw for awhile in a tight wrapper. Otherwise, bread from the freezer will be very stale.

That's not true. refrigerating bread makes it go stale. Freezing in a moisture-proof wrapper does not.

---

"In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion." (1987) -- Carl Sagan

Quote
davester

Quote
Onamuji
Freezing makes bread go stale more quickly.

I wonder whether you're inadvertently doing the "dunk" from condensation. Water migrates out of bread and into the wrapping (assuming that it's wrapped) when bread is frozen. It can be reabsorbed if left to thaw for awhile in a tight wrapper. Otherwise, bread from the freezer will be very stale.

That's not true. refrigerating bread makes it go stale. Freezing in a moisture-proof wrapper does not.

Actually remember reading an article that explained why this is so, sometime mid-late '80s and have been freezing my bread products ever since (a quick zap in the microwave brings them back to warm, soft goodness)

Quote
davester

Quote
Onamuji
Freezing makes bread go stale more quickly.

I wonder whether you're inadvertently doing the "dunk" from condensation. Water migrates out of bread and into the wrapping (assuming that it's wrapped) when bread is frozen. It can be reabsorbed if left to thaw for awhile in a tight wrapper. Otherwise, bread from the freezer will be very stale.

That's not true. refrigerating bread makes it go stale. Freezing in a moisture-proof wrapper does not.

Freezing precipitates water out of bread, but if you thaw it in that wrapper, the bread can suck much of the moisture back.

Do some Googling. You'll see that I'm right.

---

Quote
Onamuji

Quote
davester

Quote
Onamuji
Freezing makes bread go stale more quickly.

I wonder whether you're inadvertently doing the "dunk" from condensation. Water migrates out of bread and into the wrapping (assuming that it's wrapped) when bread is frozen. It can be reabsorbed if left to thaw for awhile in a tight wrapper. Otherwise, bread from the freezer will be very stale.

That's not true. refrigerating bread makes it go stale. Freezing in a moisture-proof wrapper does not.

Freezing precipitates water out of bread, but if you thaw it in that wrapper, the bread can suck much of the moisture back.

Do some Googling. You'll see that I'm right.

This is true for frost-free feezers that actually cycle slightly above freezing and back below regularly. A deep freezer actually doesn't pull the moisture out of bread when it freezes. It's the freeze-thaw cycle that ruins food.

---

rj
AKA
Vreemac, Moth of the Future

Hm. We cut our fresh bagels first, then place the halves together, then freeze em. Then when we want em, we just stick the still-frozen half-bagels in the toaster and toast for slightly longer.

They turn out pretty well.

......should I also teabag.....???

---

_____________________________________

I reject your reality and substitute my own!