Homemade bread
is a mix of gluten, starch, water and air. It slides out of a hot oven moist and soft inside, with a crackling golden crust, steaming off that heavenly fresh-baked-bread scent. Homemade bread is best eaten right away, before the pliable starches begin to crystallize. It starts to go stale as soon as it cools, but you can help prolong its life with proper storage. Add this to my Recipe Box.
Bags and Wraps
Homemade bread should be stored for short-term use at room temperature. For use later the same day, simply stand the loaf of bread on its cut end on the bread board. To save bread over the next day or two, store crusty loaves in a paper bag to allow for air circulation. Put the cut end of the baguette inside the bag to help prevent the next slice from drying out. Soft sandwich breads should be stored in plastic bags, with as much of the air squeezed or sucked out of the bag as possible. Stand the loaf on its cut end within the bag.
Bread Boxes
Just one generation ago, a bread box was a countertop staple in every household. Today's return to artisan-made or home-baked bread makes the bread box a useful kitchen tool once more. The bread box allows for room-temperature, dark storage, which helps extend the life of fresh bread by several days. Wrap the loaf in a paper or plastic bag as appropriate for the type of bread, then set it in the bread box. Close the box tightly. Remember to use up the bread before it goes stale. In particularly dry climates, put a small dish of water in the bread box to help maintain humidity. Just don't store any other aromatic foods or items in the bread box (vitamins, cigars, onions), as your bread will absorb the flavor.
Freezing
If you have more homemade bread than you will be able to eat in two or three days, freeze the excess. Never store bread in the refrigerator, as the cold will accelerate the starch crystallization process and render your bread inedible in hours. When thawed, properly frozen bread will be only slightly less perfect than it was at the moment you froze it. Freeze bread as soon as it has cooled from the oven. Wrap the bread tightly in both directions with plastic wrap, then place it in a large zipper-style freezer bag. Close the bag down to a half-inch, then suck the remaining air out the half-inch hole and quickly close the bag. Label it with the date and type of bread using a permanent magic marker. Set it quickly in the freezer. You can also slice the bread first, then freeze several slices together in quart-sized freezer bags, allowing you to just remove the number of slices needed for toast or sandwiches for the day.
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