No Preservatives - No Additives! How to keep your bread fresh
All our breads are packaged in perforated bags which allow them to breathe. As living breads, it is important that they do not get too hot so the perforations allow air to circulate, keeps bread fresh, allows the bread to mature as well as minimising the chance of mould developing.
Once your bread is at home, it will be quite happy in its own bag, wrapped in a clean tea towel, a cotton bag or even a sheet of paper.
In warmer weather breads need to be kept in a cool airy place out of direct sunlight. Humid conditions will provide a great enviroment for mould to develop so make sure that you are not keeping it in a bread bin on the bench in the sunlight!
Gluten Free breads and those with Nuts and Seeds in are particularly suceptible to mould in warm and humid climates, so will last better in the 'warmest' part of the fridge.
Freezing
Many customers buy bread in bulk for freezing. To make sure your bread stays in perfect condition follow these simple tips;
If you are the only one in the the house hold eating it, slice the loaf in half, or even individual slices, before freezing so that you can defrost small amounts at a time
Firmly DOUBLE WRAP bread before freezing in a frost proof bag and seal it as tightly as possible. Perforated bags are good for keeping fresh bread fresh, but not good for keeping frost out in the freezer. Plastic supermarket bags are perfectly adequate. Now that we will all be running out of plastic supermarket bags, a compostable bag firmly secured on the outside of our perforated bag has worked well for us, as will a thick wrapping of news or other paper if well secured. If you're clearing out old tshirts and the like they can easily be used as wrapping. The point is to stop moisture getting in and forming ice.
Mark outer bag with the date it was put in the freezer so you can keep track and use the oldest first without having to unwrap it.
Whilst bread freezes very well, like most things, the sooner you use it the better it will be. We recommend that frozen bread is used within 4 months of freezing for optimum quality retention.
Defrost naturally, unwrapped at cool room temperature, out of the sun
Once defrosted, treat as for fresh bread
Do not refreeze previously frozen bread