how do you store your sourdough?
I have read here and elsewhere that freezing bread keeps it the most fresh, but what about that loaf (or loaves) that you are munching on for the week??
There are only two of us in my household so we usually go through 1 1/2 to 2 loaves a week. My delicious sourdough that I baked last Tuesday started to get a little mold on it on Friday :-( Based on what you all have said, that was a bit early for sourdough. I should say that I travel back and forth each week from MA to NYC, staying in both places half and half. I put my 1/2 of my sourdough loaf in a ziplock plastic bag for the trip, and that was clearly not where it wanted to be. That is when it devleoped mold.
In MA I have a terracotta bread bin with a wood cutting board top and it seems to work OK. I think I heard someone here say tha they put their bread cut side down on the countertop and then cover with a towel??
i'd love to hear how everyone keeps their sourdough fresh and long lasting, (and other breads for that matter) - the loves that don't go in the freezer.
Thanks!
A lot depends on the room temperature. Right now it is cool so the counter loose in butter paper in a plastic bag for me. When it's warm, the fridge, but taken out an hour before mealtime, cut edge down if not covered. Mini Oven
You've already discovered not to put your bread in plastic bags unless you're freezing it. I use a method I learned from others here: Cut side down on a cutting board and throw a tea towel over it. Croutons and birds take care of whatever's left. Freezing is preferred over refrigeration, generally.
Best,
Susan
I store my sourdough in plastic bags all the time, and for a week at a time, without adverse consequenses, save that the crisp crust goes chewy. While I enjoy the crispness of a newly baked loaf, I also enjoy the chewiness of an older loaf. Each weekend I make a loaf of white sourdough and one of sour rye. The rye keeps longer, but the piece of white sourdough that was my late nite snack last night was bagged and frozen a month ago, thawed and kept in a plastic ziplock earlier this week when the fresh loaf from last weekend disappeared. The last heel was delightful. Sometimes I will bag a really excellently crisped loaf intending to soften the crust to make it more chewable for my younger daughters.
That said, it is light that needs to be avoided. That's the reason for the old bread boxes most of us never use anymore. True, moisture is required for mold to grow, and plastic bags will retain that moisture given off of a good loaf of bread, but bread mold is not encouraged in the dark. Keep your bread in a closed cupboard or in a brown paper bag, whether or not you use a plastic bag.
That said, the very best place to keep bread is in your tummy! Although, we might not find that it retains its most appealing characteristics.
Hmmm, like keeping potatoes in the dark so they won't sprout as readily... Got it. Thanks.
Susan
Keep potatoes in the dark to stop them going green. They will sprout.
I cut off the little bit of mould that was on the end from the bag - and apparently the light - and put a towel over it and that worked until it was all gone!
That said, in MA I have this terracotta 'bread box' and the top is a wood cutting board. Of course it keeps the bread out of the light and does something to the moisture content which seems to keep it pretty well...I am going to experiment with it a bit more as I continue to bake.