dried bread actually makes a better dish than stale bread. If the difference between the two seems trivial, it might help to know that staling and drying are two different, though often concurrent, processes: Staling refers to the recrystallization of the bread's starch, while drying describes a loss of moisture through evaporation. Staling leads to bread that's unpleasantly tough and firm, while drying (in the absence of staling) leads to a light, crisp texture, like that of a fresh crouton.