Our experts have some airtight advice on stopping your loaf from going stale – and even freshening it up again – but whatever you do, keep it out of the fridge
What’s the best way to store bread? Beeswax wraps, plastic bags, fridge – I’ve tried everything except a bread bin.
Nancy, by email
“When bread is baked, what happens is that all the starch in the flour expands and takes in all the water,” says Sophia Handschuh, co-founder of Sourdough Sophia in London. That’s why the crumb turns all soft and fluffy. “When you pull the bread out of the oven, as soon as it touches any surface it will start to dry up, which is why bread goes stale; the starch doesn’t like being kept in the air.”
To combat this, Handschuh stores her loaf at room temperature in a greaseproof paper bag (ie, the one you bring it home in): “That’s probably the best way – no plastic. And, yes, you can use beeswax wrap, but that’s expensive and you shouldn’t have to go and buy some just for storing bread.”
Got a culinary dilemma? Email feast@theguardian.com