You have to cool your newly baked bread before storing cutting or even eating. You may have heard this line again and again and again. Many bakers say it is to let the trapped steam inside go out to prevent the bread texture from being so gummy. Many others say that storing the hot bread directly makes the bread less tastier. Because cooling the bread allows it to distribute all the flavors properly.
But, today, in this article we will discuss why you should cool bread after baking, not myths and real logic. And not only that we will also talk about some precautions while storing your bread so that you won’t have to face anything bad with your bread.
So, keep reading.
Reasons Of Cooling Bread After baking
Here are the three main reasons for cooling bread just after baking:
- It helps to get the improved texture and moist of the bread
- It helps to get perfect slices
- Important for Enhanced flavor
Now, let’s talk about each of them:
Improved Texture and Moist
When your bread is just brought out of the oven there is a lot of trapped steam inside of it. And that’s why if you pack the bread when it is hot then the trapped steam will make the bread soggy and it can completely ruin the texture of your bread.
That’s why you should spare some time cooling your bread. This helps the moisture of the bread redistribute on the whole body properly. Some of the trapped steam goes out and some stays in the bread. Also as the bread cools the crust starts to develop and set properly. This allows you to maintain the crust’s texture, keeping it crispy and perfect for the bread, if there are no other issues with your bread dough.
Perfect Slices
As I have mentioned before, when your bread is hot enough then the molecules of your bread are not set properly. At this time if you try to slice or divide your bread then chances are that the bread will tear, or crumble. And at last, you will end up getting a messy cut.
Cooling the bread properly will allow you to cut the bread without destroying the structure.
To get perfectly baked
Many times, if the volume of your bread is large the center stays unbaked or a bit raw. For that reason, if you keep the bread in the oven to make that perfect the sides of your will be overbaked. To, solve this problem the easiest way is to take the bread out of the oven and give it some time to cool properly. While cooling due to the heat trapped inside the center will be fully baked and the sides will not burn as they would.
Important For Enhanced Flavor
When the bread is hot and not cold then if you eat that, you will feel a lack of flavor in it. That’s because as the molecules and structures of the bread are set properly when cooled, the flavor of the bread also matures as the bread cools.
Eating cold bread will give you the proper feel of flavors and all the other features of bread
Now let’s talk about some potential precautions for cooling your freshly baked bread without harming the flavor, the texture, the crisp, and all of the bread.
Precautions For Cooling Your Fresh Bread
When cooling the bread some people put the bread inside of a refrigerator, and some people cover it too soon thinking that cooling is done. But both of these are some of the biggest mistakes made while storing or cooling the bread.
Allow Air Circulation
Wherever you are cooling the bread make sure the container has proper air circulation or free space even after putting the bread into it. If you are cooling it on a plate or a cooling rack (best for cooling breads) then it’s not a matter of worry as there is enough air circulation out there but if you’re using a container make sure the container has proper air circulation.
Because, if it is placed in a confined area when hot then the bread will retain the heat and steam inside it will make it potentially soggy and ruin the taste of the bread.
Patience Is Key
Don’t cut or store your bread when it is hot. Because cutting it too soon can make the slices worse. As we have said before the bread can tear or crumble while slicing.
Also, don’t cover the bread or seal the bread too soon. Remember regardless of what kind of bread yours is, an average, you have to wait at least 15 to 20 minutes before wrapping, sealing storing or even cutting it.
IMPORTANT: DON’T USE REFRIGERATOR
This is one of the dumbest ways to cool the bread. Never use a refrigerator for faster cooling of your bread. You need to wait. Using a refrigerator will obviously make your bread soggy and also it will expedite the staling process of the bread. Staling involves the crystalization of the starch molecules. This only happens in cold environments. Also, it can potentially change the bread’s texture.
By the way, if you find your bread is getting hard after cooling then you can check this article out as we have discussed a lot more about the topic: Will bread harden as it cools?
Conclusion
So, today, in this article, we have covered a lot about why you cool bread after baking – reasons for it and some potential precautions for it. Hope you have learned a lot from this article.
Thanks for reading.
