Bread is a quintessential part of the British diet with a staggering 99.8 percent of households popping it into their trolleys and nearly 11 million loaves flying off the shelves daily in the UK.
It faces the summer dilemma of proper storage in almost every kitchen, even more so in the warm weather.
The mercurial British summer poses the conundrum: where does one stash their bread to avoid the stalemate of staleness or mould?
Speaking previously to Express.co.uk, food safety guru Sarah Taylor from High-Speed Training revealed her top tips for keeping that loaf fresher for longer.
Sarah advised: “It’s the age-old question, should you bin or keep bread with spots of mould? Mouldy bread is generally best thrown away, as the mould will likely have spread much further through the loaf than is actually visible.”
She suggested: “Buying sliced bread is a good, cheaper option for keeping your bread fresher for longer, as mould takes longer to spread throughout the loaf.”
“Your average supermarket bread tends to wave goodbye to freshness within a week, while those tantalising freshly baked loaves will go off even quicker – something to mull over when picking your bread,” she added.
Expanding on her bread-preserving wisdom, Sarah said: “To keep your bread fresh for longer, it’s best to keep it covered. Whether you have a dedicated bread bin or bread bag, or whether you’re keeping the loaf in its original packaging, you want to try and store the bread in a cool, dry place.”
She warned against the perils of plastic packaging in warm conditions, noting: “If the bread comes in plastic packaging, it may ‘sweat’ in warm environments, causing moisture to form inside the packaging.
“You should try to use a bread bin or breathable bag to avoid this, but if you have no other option, then storing the bread inside a cool, dry cupboard can help slow the process down.”
Another key tip for long-lasting loaves is to keep them away from water as this will speed up mould development.
Sarah explains: “Moist, damp environments are the perfect conditions for causing mould spores to develop and spread quicker than they normally would, so slow this down by keeping the loaf as dry as possible.”
There’s one place Sarah advises against storing bread: “You should never store your loaf in the fridge. This is because the cold conditions inside the fridge will make the starch recrystallise, causing the bread to develop a stale taste and texture.”
“If you tend to go through your bread slowly, a better option is to freeze it – this keeps the loaf edible and prevents the spread of mould.”
When speaking about consuming frozen bread, Sarah says: “To thaw the bread, simply use the defrost setting on your toaster to avoid a soggy slice.”
