Keep bread fresh for longer
It’s the freshness of our bread that sets it apart, even if I do say so myself. We leave the dough to prove overnight (longer for our 48-hour sourdough) and bake the bread early in the morning for maximum freshness. When our first customers arrive, it’s not long out of the oven, and I love seeing the joy on their faces as they clutch their still-warm loaves.
But how do you retain that freshness if you don’t plan to eat your loaf straight away, as tempting as it might be? Follow my tips to keep your bread at its best for as long as possible.
I’ve just bought a loaf and eaten a few slices. How do I store the rest?
I recommend keeping your loaf in the paper bag we serve it in. Wrap the whole thing in a tea towel and store it at room temperature, away from direct sunlight. Thanks to the sourdough content, our bread keeps really well for two to three days when stored like this. Our house brique, available on Thursdays, can be kept for even longer.
Can I store my bread in the fridge?
People often ask me that, and the answer is no because the cold temperature dehydrates the bread. It’s best to keep your bread at room temperature, following the steps above.
Can I freeze a whole loaf? What’s the best way?
As someone whose freezer is full of bread, I can confidently say yes! Our bread freezes exceptionally well - the key is to freeze it when it’s fresh.
At home, I typically cut my loaf into slices that I store flat in zip bags labelled with the date. I place greaseproof paper in between the slices when I stack them to prevent them from sticking together. If you don’t have greaseproof paper, one of our Thames Ditton Bakery paper bags works just as well. The beauty of this method is that you can take out as many slices as you need at a time. That’s not to say you can’t freeze an entire loaf, especially batons and baguettes that you might want to defrost and use whole.
When you’re ready to eat your bread, simply defrost the frozen slices (or loaf) by placing them flat on a plate and covering them with a tea towel. Easier still, you can put them directly in the toaster to make toast (but you might have to toast them a few times to heat the bread through).
Technically, you can freeze bread for up to three months, but I’d suggest using it within a month for the best results.
So, any tips for defrosting a baguette?
The thing about baguettes is that they tend to lose moisture more quickly than other types of bread. So, once you’ve defrosted it - as described above - you’ll want to restore the original freshness or as close to it as possible. To do this, quickly run your baguette under the tap (but don’t soak it), then place it on the shelf of a hot oven preheated to 190°C for three to five minutes. Check it after three minutes; when it’s ready, it should feel crusty and springy, just like freshly baked bread. This technique also works with pretzels, or so my wife tells me.
My bread has dried out. Can it be revived?
If your bread is dehydrated, you’ll need to reintroduce moisture (as above) and then heat it briefly to ‘revive’ it. For bigger loaves, such as our bloomer or tinned loaf, I’d suggest wrapping the bread in foil to prevent the crust from drying out before the core warms up.
Alternatively, there are plenty of ways to use bread that is past its best. I like to cut the bread into cubes, lightly coat them in olive oil, then add a sprinkle of salt and toast them in the oven or in a frying pan to make croutons for soups or salads.
For more ideas, stay tuned for my next blog post, where I’ll share quick, easy recipes for old and leftover bread.
