It’s happened to all of us. We prepare for a recipe by gathering ingredients, only to discover the brown sugar is hard as a rock and not possible to correctly measure and may not be suitable to use in many recipes. What should you do now? Pitching the brown sugar and purchasing another bag may be your first response. Is that your only option. Can this essential baking ingredient be salvaged? I always find the simplest solutions are the best ones.
Brown sugar dries out when the molasses content in it evaporates from being exposed to air for too long. I have found that brown sugar will harden even in its original packaging. To salvage my hardened brown sugar, I use a tried and true method which came from my mother and grandmother. Transfer your hardened brown sugar to an airtight container (I like reuse take out containers with tight fitting lids). Add a slice of fresh bread and seal the container for 12 to 24 hours. The brown sugar will absorb the moisture from the bread and return to its original state, allowing it to be appropriately measured and mixed in a recipe.