Experts issue warning to anyone who buys sourdough bread
Topics: Food and Drink, Life Hacks
Jen Thomas
Featured Image Credit: Zenovia Dumitrescu/500px/Getty Images
Topics: Food and Drink, Life Hacks
You can't go wrong with a great sourdough loaf, whether you're teaming it with eggs and avocado for a healthy snack, or pairing it with a homemade soup for lunch.
However, experts have issued a warning about the trendy sourdough loaf and the dangers of storing it incorrectly.
Many of us went sourdough starter mad over the Covid-19 lockdowns, and since then, you might have more loaves than you know what to do with if you've kept up with the baking.
And when you've spent hours crafting that sourdough loaf art after trawling through TikTok to find the best recipe video, the last thing you want to do is have to throw it away.
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There's one place you definitely shouldn't be storing your loaf though.
Many people have argued over whether ketchup and chocolate belong in the fridge, and now, it seems like sourdough can be added to that list of questionable storage options too.
The experts at The Perfect Loaf say choosing to keep it cool can cause your precious sourdough to go stale quicker.
This is due to the lack of humidity in a fridge, causing it to dry out fast, and bread goes stale when dry air pulls the moisture out of the bread,
It might seem like a sensible idea - after all, the fridge is the place to stop things going off, but it doesn't provide the optimum conditions for bread.
Room temperature is the best option for bread, according to the Express.
For best results, you are advised to keep the sourdough loaf in a plain paper bag or wrapped in a kitchen towel before slicing it.
Keeping it wrapped like this will help to maintain softness.
Another option is the trusty bread bin.
If you've simply made too much or don't think you'll use it all before having to bin it, freezing the loaf is a far better option than refrigerating it.
The experts revealed: "The retrogradation process can be mostly halted by subjecting bread to very low temperatures, preventing moisture migration out of starches and their subsequent recrystallisation."
They added: "This means a cooled loaf can be frozen whole or sliced completely, and then the slices are frozen independently."
Once slices, split them into resealable freezble bags and keep them in the freezer.
You can either remove them the night before to defrost, or most toasters come with the defrost setting.
They might require a little longer to turn golden brown, but it'll be worth the wait.
The confusion has probably come about because many bakers store the dough in the fridge to 'cold proof' it, or keep their starter in there if they need to go away on holiday or to slow the fermentation process.
While it's okay for the dough to be refrigerated, it's best to keep the finished product at room temperature.