Bread Care:
1) Leave out what you think you will eat in a two day period and freeze the rest. Wrap the remaining pieces tight in plastic or foil wrap, then place them in a zipper bag with little air, and place it in the freezer. For best results, use within 6 weeks. To defrost the bread, don't microwave it, just take it out of the freezer a few hours before it is needed. The microwave changes the texture of the bread.
2) Keep your bread at room temperature. Even though many people store their bread in the refrigerator, that is actually the place that it will spoil fastest. Here I quote Jeffrey Hamelman, master baker and director of the bakeries at King Arthur Flour: "Baked breads will stale most quickly at temperatures between 32 and 50 degrees. Clearly, the worst environment for bread is the refrigerator." He also makes a case for reheating old bread to its very core, which allows the loaf to take on some of its fresh characteristics. However, this is best done when you plan on eating the whole thing, as the bread will revert back to its old state quickly.
1) Leave out what you think you will eat in a two day period and freeze the rest. Wrap the remaining pieces tight in plastic or foil wrap, then place them in a zipper bag with little air, and place it in the freezer. For best results, use within 6 weeks. To defrost the bread, don't microwave it, just take it out of the freezer a few hours before it is needed. The microwave changes the texture of the bread.
2) Keep your bread at room temperature. Even though many people store their bread in the refrigerator, that is actually the place that it will spoil fastest. Here I quote Jeffrey Hamelman, master baker and director of the bakeries at King Arthur Flour: "Baked breads will stale most quickly at temperatures between 32 and 50 degrees. Clearly, the worst environment for bread is the refrigerator." He also makes a case for reheating old bread to its very core, which allows the loaf to take on some of its fresh characteristics. However, this is best done when you plan on eating the whole thing, as the bread will revert back to its old state quickly.
