Question

Why does toast go hard once removed from the toaster but an hour later becomes soft again only to get hard again once removed from the toaster (on same setting)?

Answer 1

The changes in the texture of toast are primarily due to the moisture content within the bread and the way heat affects it. Here's what happens:

1. Toasting Process: When you put bread in the toaster, the heat causes the water content within the bread to evaporate. This process is what makes the bread turn crispy and gives it a golden-brown color. The longer you toast the bread, the more moisture is removed, resulting in a harder and crunchier texture.

2. Reabsorption of Moisture: After toasting, when you leave the bread sitting for a while, it starts to reabsorb some moisture from the surrounding air. The moisture in the air interacts with the dry bread, making it softer again. This is why toast left out for a while can become somewhat softer.

3. Toasting Again: When you reheat the toast in the toaster again, it goes through the toasting process once more. The heat removes the moisture that was reabsorbed, leading to the bread becoming hard and crunchy again.

So, the cycle of the bread becoming hard after toasting, then soft again when left out, and hard once more after toasting again is a result of the interplay between heat, moisture, and the properties of the bread.