7 ms·

Started baking bread with kids recently. They love it. But next day the leftover bread is stale. I explained that it isn’t full of preservatives. After a mom

Started baking bread with kids recently. They love it. But next day the leftover bread is stale. I explained that it isn’t full of preservatives. After a moment, they look at me and ask where we can get some.

chubot 5y ago
You definitely need to slice and freeze it! https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31015602 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31015602 No preservatives necessary. You just need a freezer and a toaster.
- monetus 5y ago
  Adds inconvenience though when a kid just wants a pb&j right this moment. But yes, freezing is the way.
mirker 5y ago
If you make artisan bread with sourdough, it can easily last 3-4 days. Mine don’t grow mold until 7-9 days.
Tarq0n 5y ago
It shouldn’t go stale in a day if you keep it somewhere somewhat airtight.
- perlgeek 5y ago
  If you keep it airtight, the crust will dampen from the moisture that comes from the inside. Which storing bread that has a crust worth preserving, I tend to make sure it gets a little air (covering it with linen cloths, for example), and accept the small amount of drying out that comes with this form of storage.
pessimizer 5y ago
There are tactics other than preservatives to make bread last, such as covering it, freezing it, and tangzhong: https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2018/03/26/introduction-to-tangzhong https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2018/03/26/introductio... I tend to bake two loaves (always with tangzhong if the particular recipe can tolerate it), wrap both, immediately freeze one, and the other one lasts somewhere short of a week.
Spivak 5y ago
This is one of the funniest things when introducing people to some of the ingredients and methods used in commercial food production -- stuff like Xanthan gum as a thickener, soy lechtin as an emulsifier, or calcium propanate as a preservative. Once people know what they do and how it works they stop being "scary chemicals" corporations are putting in our food. I think it's a branding issue, sodium bicarbonate is a scary chemical but baking soda is a household ingredient, MSG is super scary but seaweed salt sounds delicious.

chubot 5y ago

You definitely need to slice and freeze it! https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31015602 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31015602 No preservatives necessary. You just need a freezer and a toaster.

monetus 5y ago
Adds inconvenience though when a kid just wants a pb&j right this moment. But yes, freezing is the way.

mirker 5y ago

If you make artisan bread with sourdough, it can easily last 3-4 days. Mine don’t grow mold until 7-9 days.

Tarq0n 5y ago

It shouldn’t go stale in a day if you keep it somewhere somewhat airtight.

perlgeek 5y ago
If you keep it airtight, the crust will dampen from the moisture that comes from the inside. Which storing bread that has a crust worth preserving, I tend to make sure it gets a little air (covering it with linen cloths, for example), and accept the small amount of drying out that comes with this form of storage.

pessimizer 5y ago

There are tactics other than preservatives to make bread last, such as covering it, freezing it, and tangzhong: https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2018/03/26/introduction-to-tangzhong https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2018/03/26/introductio... I tend to bake two loaves (always with tangzhong if the particular recipe can tolerate it), wrap both, immediately freeze one, and the other one lasts somewhere short of a week.

Spivak 5y ago

This is one of the funniest things when introducing people to some of the ingredients and methods used in commercial food production -- stuff like Xanthan gum as a thickener, soy lechtin as an emulsifier, or calcium propanate as a preservative. Once people know what they do and how it works they stop being "scary chemicals" corporations are putting in our food. I think it's a branding issue, sodium bicarbonate is a scary chemical but baking soda is a household ingredient, MSG is super scary but seaweed salt sounds delicious.