What does "day-old bread" mean to you?

[shaun-in-to]

Literally bread that was bought or made the day before but has been kept properly stored, or bread that's been left out to dry out partially or completely?

I see this a lot in recipes, and I'm bothered (as a cookbook editor) by its ambiguity, so I'm just wondering if there's any consensus.

 

[joe]

To me it means half-dried-out. Like the half of last night's baguette that I forgot to wrap up.

 

[charlie]

I agree with joe. However, a lot of the bread sold in this country just tastes stale if left...

overnight whereas good bread made with whole grains and no preservatives gets merely "chewy".

I'd rather oven dry most of our bread to get the texture preferred when a recipe calls for day old---unless I can get a well made bread.

Must say--it's getting easier to obtain really good bread.