Recently, many have been complaining about the quality of bread: they say, it quickly deteriorates, molds. Perhaps when baking bread, recipes are not always respected. But are producers guilty of the fact that consumers give part of bread to livestock or throw it away?
If you look back a few decades ago, you will notice a pattern: the bread could dry out after a few days, but not “bloom” when it was covered with mold. Because there was no ... plastic bags!
Bread was stored in the old manner - in fabric bags or wrapped in paper. And some housewives put it in a regular pot! After all, our ancestors kept their bread. And they knew a lot about it.
But then convenient plastic bags appeared, which displaced the paper packaging, and the bread safely moved into them.
Meanwhile, bread is a living product. He continues to “breathe” after baking, emitting carbon dioxide, thanks to the yeast that is involved in its production.
Placed in polyethylene bread simply suffocates. A fungus develops in it, a mold appears, and the hostesses begin to blame the producers for bad faith.
But how then to keep the bread so that it remains fresh for several days? You need to think about it in the store. In some stores, sellers, taking bread from suppliers, immediately pack it in plastic bags, apparently with the aim not to make return of dried products, as well as to speed up the process of customer service. Thus, they are provided with a disservice because the bread most often comes to the store shelves from the oven almost - crisp and hot, and if it is cold outside, it is still warm inside. When such bread is put into a bag of film, condensate accumulates on its inner walls, which becomes the cause of product damage. But then how to deal with the bread, which is sold immediately in sealed packages?
The fact is that the factory packaging is made not of polyethylene, but of cellophane. And they are not completely sealed. If you look at them, you can see a lot of small holes, thanks to which the “breathing” of the bread takes place, it does not deteriorate and does not get stale.
One conclusion suggests itself: there is no need to store bread in a polyethylene package.
How to store bread in a breadbasket
Many housewives resort to this way of storing bread. The benefit in the shops now you can buy a bread box from any material, given its color, shape, as well as their financial capabilities.
- The best bread boxes are those made of wood.
- Before you put bread in the bread box, it must be cooled.
- In order for the bread to not dry due to the air entering it, it is advisable to wrap a loaf in paper or cotton fabric.
- It is impossible to store white bread and rye (bran) in the bread box, as there will be a mixing of smells and this will affect the quality of the bread.
- It is necessary to monitor the cleanliness of the bread box: clean the crumbs in time, air it. If there is an unpleasant smell, the bread box is wiped with a cloth dipped in vinegar and then dried well. Helps to fight the unpleasant smell of lemon.
Instead of a breadbasket, you can use a stainless steel saucepan. But in this case, the container should not be used for boiling or storing other products.
How else can you store bread
- Bread is stored in paper bags. The cooled bread is placed in a bag and cleaned in a cool place where no light falls, but you need to have enough fresh air. In this package, the bread does not get stale for several days and does not suffocate. Instead of a paper bag, you can wrap a loaf in clean paper.
- Linen or canvas is good packaging for bread.
The loaf is wrapped in several layers of fabric and stored in a cool dry place, for example, in a closet. But in this case there should not be any smelling substances, because the bread easily absorbs all the smells.
How to store bread in the refrigerator
Many housewives, worn out because of the constant deterioration of bread, keep it in the refrigerator, packed in a paper or plastic bag. This method of storage is fully justified. It is especially relevant in areas with hot climates, where the only cool place is a refrigerator.
Bread in it really does not deteriorate. But it must be borne in mind that when placed in a refrigerator, it begins to actively evaporate moisture and after 2-3 days it becomes dense and taut. But it does not moldy.
Another place where housewives store bread is the freezer. Her convenience was appreciated by those who eat bread little by little, for example, saves a figure. Then proceed as follows:
- The loaf is cut into thin slices.
- Then they are portion-packed into plastic bags and sealed.
- Clean in the freezer.
- As needed, take the bread out of the freezer and defrost it at room temperature. To return the bread to a fresh look, it is placed in an oven heated to 150 ° and held for no more than five minutes. In the microwave oven, such bread is better not to be heated, as it becomes wet and tasteless.
Mistress to note
- To keep the bread soft for a longer time, a sliced raw potato or an apple is put in the bread box with it.
- Bread starts to be cut not from the edge, but from the middle. That is, cut the loaf in half, cut the slice, and then tightly connect the remaining halves.
- Bread baked at home is not packed until it has cooled completely.
- Stale bread can be refreshed by sprinkling it with water and placing it in a heated oven for 1-3 minutes. But after cooling, such bread will turn completely completely.
- The steam bath will help bring back the softness of the bread. Dried bread is placed in a colander, which is set on a pot of boiling water. Cover it with a lid. In a few minutes the bread will be soft.
But in order not to suffer from finding a place where bread is best kept, it must be bought in moderation. Fortunately, not a hungry year!
