Problembeginnerdraft

Bread crust goes soft

Also searched as: crust not crisp, leathery crust, crust goes soft, soft crust

In short: The crust could not dry out enough, or moisture from the inside softened it afterwards.

Picture it

Like a biscuit lying next to a cup of tea: the moisture finds it.

What happened in your kitchen?

Question 1

Was the crust crisp straight after baking?

Steam in the oven too long
Without a dry phase at the end, the crust does not dry out.
Next time: Let the steam out after 20 minutes · Open the oven door briefly at the end
Baked too short or too pale
A pale crust still holds a lot of water.
Next time: Bake longer, until the crust is deep golden brown
Cooled or stored the wrong way
Steam from the crumb condenses in the crust, and in plastic it stays trapped.
Next time: Cool on a rack · Store in paper or a cloth

Sources · 2