Cooking Tips & Advice

Bread Storage Guide

Date: 2012/11/10
Comment: Please do not, NEVER, store bread in a refrigerator. It will stale in no time flat. Bread doesn't stale simply by drying out; it's a complex series of chemical/physical reactions known as "retrogradation". Essentially the starch, which was fairly crystalline (i.e. "graded") in the raw state becomes much more loose and wriggly when baked. If the resulting bread is kept in a refrigerator at 4°C (~40°F) the starch will go back (hence "retro") to this state - it will recrystallise. It will do this eventually anyway, but a sight faster at 4°C than at ANY other temperature. Good, home-made bread doesn't get the chance to go stale or mouldy anyway in the normal scheme of things! If you must keep bread, part-bake it (say 2/3 of the time), cool and freeze. When you're going to need it, defrost and then re-bake for 2/3 of the stated time. The re-baking "uncrystallises" the starch.

Basic Bread - White Bread

Date: 2012/11/10

Basic Bread - White Bread

Date: 2012/11/10
"Good recipe - just a couple of points. Firstly, why not use a good mixer to knead your bread? This assumes, of course, that you're not in need of the exercise! Secondly, why not use *proper* yeast - that's the light-brown, pasty stuff that a good professional baker should be able to sell - or even give - you?"