PRESERVE YOUR LOAF

I was thinking that I wouldn't be writing my blog while I was on vacation just because my plan was to have no plan at all.  Then I happened to read an article that I thought was worthy of sharing about keeping bread fresh.  If you would have asked me, I would have said that putting it in the fridge was the best way to keep bread fresh.  It seemed to work for me since it delays the development of mold.

Now, I know that this is actually a fact.  It really does delay the development of mold but there is a chemical change starting soon after the bread is removed from the oven, the structure of the starch molecules change and little by little water is forced out of the bread and it begins to get stale.  We all know that bread tastes best when it is fresh and comes right out of the oven but I didn't know that starch retrogradation occurs more rapidly at refrigerator temperatures.

So if we can't make fresh bread every day and don't want to go to the bakery every day, what is the solution? One is storing the bread in the freezer.  It prevents staling as the freezer temperature delays retrogradation, holding the bread in a stable state.  Then to get the most out of your frozen bread, you have to consume it as soon a possible after thawing. 

The other alternative is just storing it at room temperature, just make sure it isn't exposed to air and is wrapped well. Plastic bags are supposed to be good for the common storebought loaf with a tender crust but the ones with a crusty outside bought at the bakery are supposed to be stored in the paper bag the bakery gives you.  You can often refresh your loaf by heating it in the oven for a few minutes.

I don't know how true any of this but I will give it a try.