No need to put your bread in the freezer to keep it longer! There is a very simple, but little-known, trick that allows you to keep both its taste and its crispiness, without any household appliance.
Bread may be a staple in our diet, but sometimes we bite off more than we can chew and buy too much. However, after a few days, it becomes dry and loses its softness, to the point of ending up as hard as a brick. One of the most obvious solutions to avoid this is to freeze it, but not everyone likes the idea of freezing their bread. Between the loss of flavor and an altered texture, freezing isn’t always the most appealing option. So, how can you keep your bread fresh without resorting to this method?
Since it is through contact with air that the crust allows the moisture in the bread to evaporate, which causes it to harden, it is therefore necessary to adopt conservation techniques that promote a balance between protection and aeration to prolong the freshness of the food. One of the easiest tips to implement is to use a clean cotton or linen cloth. Unlike plastic bags that retain moisture and soften the crust, a tea towel wraps the bread while allowing it to breathe. This way, it retains its texture and taste a little longer.
It is also possible to store your bread in a wooden or metal bread box. This accessory, specially designed for this purpose, offers ideal protection against air and light while avoiding excess humidity. The important thing is to choose a ventilated box to avoid mold, while allowing the bread to keep its crispiness.
But the ultimate trick for optimal preservation is to place your bread in a ventilated box and add an apple or a potato cut in half. Yes! By slowly evaporating, the water contained in the fruit or tuber will help maintain a good humidity level in the container, preventing the bread from drying out. And if you don’t have a bread box, simply use a canvas or paper bag.
Finally, it is advisable to cut the bread as you eat it. By leaving the loaf whole, i.e. not cut beforehand, you limit the exposure of the crumb to air, which prolongs the shelf life of the food. In short, it is entirely possible to keep your bread fresh for several days without freezing. And if freezing is really unavoidable, you should definitely not make the mistake of freezing bread as is. It is better to wrap it in a plastic bag or a tightly closed freezer bag to keep it longer. And be careful never to freeze bread that has already defrosted!