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Staling is chemistry in the crumb, not simply water evaporating. The figure is taken from Encyclopaedia Britannica, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

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Bread goes stale because its starch re-crystallises

Staling is chemistry in the crumb, not simply water evaporating

Freshly baked bread has gelatinised starch that holds water loosely. As the loaf cools and sits, amylose and amylopectin chains pack back into crystalline order, squeezing water out and turning the crumb firm and dry-tasting. Warming the bread reverses some of that crystallisation, which is why a stale slice freshens briefly in a toaster.

Stale bread photograph — How can I recycle this · CC BY 2.0 · licence · source

Where this comes from

Encyclopaedia Britannica

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Food & Cooking trivia Science trivia

More facts like this

Starch ratio determines whether cooked rice is fluffy or stickyHigh amylose content yields firm separate grains while amylopectin causes stickiness Waxy potatoes hold their shape and floury ones crumbleThe ratio of amylose to amylopectin starch sets how a potato behaves Cooling cooked potatoes changes their starchGelatinised starch re-crystallises as it cools, firming the potato up Risotto creaminess comes from surface starchStirring short-grain rice rubs starch off the grains into the liquid Scoring a loaf controls where it burstsA deliberate cut gives expanding steam and gas somewhere to go Steam in the oven keeps a crust thin while the loaf risesMoist air delays the crust setting, letting the bread expand further

Tags: bread, starch, staling

Bread goes stale because its starch re-crystallises: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: Staling is chemistry in the crumb, not simply water evaporating. The figure is taken from Encyclopaedia Britannica, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a food fact?: Yes. It sits on the Food shelf, one of 1,090 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.