After 3-4 days my Sour dough becomes very hard - it's great to toast but hard to cut. I've bought Rye sour dough and it also goes hard after a few days. Is this just how it is?
Even with our humid air, breads with no additives turn hard within 2 days. I follow what Matthew does...slice up my breads and freeze them if I don't consume them immediately. Don't put your breads in the fridge; domestic fridge air is drying.
I store my bread outside the fridge, usually in a plastic bag inside my bread box. It's my experience that wrapping loaves in plastic makes the crust go soft, while cloth keeps the crust more crisp. But I still prefer plastic, as I think the crumb stays softer for a longer time.
Also, my bread keeps better if I proof overnight in the fridge. Wholemeal and rye loaves tend to keep better than white loaves.
I find storing bread in the fridge makes it go dry and dull.
Everybody has their own prefered way of storing their sourdough, but one thing everyone I've met on here agrees with is don't keep it in the fridge.
Myself, I put cut side down on a wooden board and cover with a clean cloth in the pantry (limited air flow) to try and stop the drying. Anything I don't think I'll eat in the next 2-4 days I slice and then freeze.
Thanks very much everyone for your input it is much appreciated and good to know it wasn't just my bread that was hardening.It makes you wonder just what they put in commercial bread and in what amount to make it soft for so long
Assuming the quality of your bread is excellent since fermentation factors profoundly affect keeping quality of bread, fridge temperature range optimises the rapidity of starch re-crystallisation, which firms your bread. The temperature that reduces starch re-crystallisation to its minimum is around 30’C. So I store bread in plastic after the first 6 hours then in a bread box.
Replies
Barry,
How do you store your bread?
Matthew
This last loaf did go in the fridge early, that may be why.
Even with our humid air, breads with no additives turn hard within 2 days. I follow what Matthew does...slice up my breads and freeze them if I don't consume them immediately. Don't put your breads in the fridge; domestic fridge air is drying.
Cheers.
Yes, I did suspect it may be the additives keeping some bought bread soft.
Thanks Barry
I store my bread outside the fridge, usually in a plastic bag inside my bread box. It's my experience that wrapping loaves in plastic makes the crust go soft, while cloth keeps the crust more crisp. But I still prefer plastic, as I think the crumb stays softer for a longer time.
Also, my bread keeps better if I proof overnight in the fridge. Wholemeal and rye loaves tend to keep better than white loaves.
I find storing bread in the fridge makes it go dry and dull.
Barry,
Everybody has their own prefered way of storing their sourdough, but one thing everyone I've met on here agrees with is don't keep it in the fridge.
Myself, I put cut side down on a wooden board and cover with a clean cloth in the pantry (limited air flow) to try and stop the drying. Anything I don't think I'll eat in the next 2-4 days I slice and then freeze.
Matthew
Thanks very much everyone for your input it is much appreciated and good to know it wasn't just my bread that was hardening.It makes you wonder just what they put in commercial bread and in what amount to make it soft for so long
Barry,
Assuming the quality of your bread is excellent since fermentation factors profoundly affect keeping quality of bread, fridge temperature range optimises the rapidity of starch re-crystallisation, which firms your bread. The temperature that reduces starch re-crystallisation to its minimum is around 30’C. So I store bread in plastic after the first 6 hours then in a bread box.