This disclosure provides novel hydrogels that can undergo multiple gel-sol transitions and methods of making and using such hydrogels, particularly in anastomosis procedures. The peptide hydrogels comprising a fibrillar network of peptides that are in an amphiphilic β-hairpin conformation. The peptides comprise photo-caged glutamate residues with a neutral photocage that can be photolytically selectively uncaged to disrupt the fibrillar network and trigger an irreversible gel-sol phase transition of the hydrogel. Isolated peptides for making the disclosed hydrogels are provided, as are methods of using the peptide hydrogels in anastomosis procedures.