staling

thumb|Stale bread Staling, or "going stale", is a chemical and physical process in bread and similar foods that reduces their palatability. Stale bread is dry and hard, making it less suitable for different culinary uses than fresh bread. Countermeasures and destaling techniques may reduce staling.

== Mechanism and effects == Staling is a chemical and physical process in bread that reduces its palatability. Staling is not simply a drying-out process caused by evaporation. One important mechanism is the migration of moisture from the starch granules into the interstitial spaces, degelatinizing the starch; stale bread's leathery, hard texture results from the starch amylose and amylopectin molecules realigning and causing recrystallisation.